Tuberculosis infections, including those that are drug-resistant, increased globally in 2021 for the first time in years, according to an Oct. 27 report from the World Health Organization.
The WHO reported an estimated 10.6 million tuberculosis cases in 2021, marking a 4.5 percent increase from the year prior. About 1.6 million people died, the organization said.
The prevalence of drug-resistant infections also increased by 3 percent in 2021, with 450,000 new cases of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis reported.
"This is the first time in many years an increase has been reported in the number of people falling ill with TB and drug-resistant TB," WHO said, noting that COVID-19 and other factors have disrupted global efforts to diagnose and treat the illness.
View the full report here.