Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis kills more people today than HIV and malaria combined. In 2015, there were an estimated 10.4 million new TB cases worldwide and 1.8 million TB deaths. Six countries account for 60 per cent of the total burden, with India accounting for 27 per cent of the global cases, followed by Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa. Of the 10.4 million new cases, the WHO estimate that only 6.1 million were detected and officially notified. This left a gap of 4.3 million cases that are considered ‘missing’ – either not diagnosed, or not notified to TB control programs. Drug-resistance is a growing threat in many settings, and there is an urgent need for improved drug regimens, vaccines and diagnostics.

The Tuberculosis Channel features articles on all topics relevant to TB research. The Channel editors aim to showcase the most up to date research to assist various stakeholders in the fight against TB, including academics, healthcare workers, policy makers, implementers, patients, and civil society.

Channel Editors

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NAID, CC-BY

Dr Soumya Swaminathan
Deputy Director General of Programmes (DDP), World Health Organization

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NAID, CC-BY

Dr Madhukar Pai
Director, McGill Global Health Programs
Associate Director, McGill International TB Centre

Channel Administrators

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NAID, CC-BY

Sophie Huddart

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NAID, CC-BY

Emily MacLean

The Editors are grateful to Sophie Huddart & Emily MacLean, doctoral candidates at McGill University, Montreal, for their contributions to this Channel.