Tuberculosis (TB)
A bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that mostly affects the lungs; curable, but requires several months of combination treatment.
How it spreads
Airborne particles released when a person with active pulmonary TB coughs or speaks; most infected people have latent infection, and about 5–10% develop disease in their lifetime — more if immunity is weakened.
Common symptoms
Cough lasting more than 2–3 weeks, coughing blood, chest pain, weight loss, night sweats, low-grade fever, fatigue.
When to seek care
Coughing blood, breathlessness or persistent fever with weight loss need prompt assessment. Dialysis and transplant patients have a markedly higher risk of TB reactivation; latent-TB screening is usual before transplantation.
Prevention & treatment
Early diagnosis and complete treatment (to prevent drug resistance), preventive treatment for high-risk people with latent infection, ventilation and infection control; BCG vaccine mainly protects infants and young children from severe forms.
Unknowns & ongoing research
Shorter, safer regimens and new adult vaccines are in clinical trials; multidrug-resistant TB remains a global challenge.
Global disease data
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory (annual estimates or officially reported figures; global and WHO-region level). Estimates carry uncertainty intervals; reported counts reflect national surveillance capacity and are not the true number of infections.
Estimated TB incidence (per 100 000 population per year)
Rate · GHO MDG_0000000020 · Estimated TB incidence (per 100 000 population per year)
| WHO region | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Global | 131[122–141] | 134 |
| African Region | 207[177–239] | 212 |
| Region of the Americas | 33[30–37] | 33 |
| South-East Asia Region | 201[177–226] | 205 |
| European Region | 22[19–25] | 23 |
| Eastern Mediterranean Region | 112[86–140] | 112 |
| Western Pacific Region | 131[112–152] | 134 |
Data year: 2024 · Source updated: 2025-11-11
WHO GHO · MDG_0000000020 · Last successful update on this site: 2026-11-11 01:10 UTC
Related WHO notices
WHO Disease Outbreak News · Last successful update on this site: 2026-11-12 01:10 UTC
No WHO notices retrieved yet (the scheduled update has not run or the source is temporarily unreachable).
Official sources & interactive data
- WHO fact sheet: Tuberculosis · Source link checked: 2026-10-23
- WHO Disease Outbreak News
