The lack of diagnosis remains a serious problem: people who do not receive a timely diagnosis continue to spread the infection and may face more severe forms of the disease.
The region also bears a significant share of the global burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: in 2024, 26,845 cases of the disease resistant to rifampicin and other drugs were confirmed.
Statistics for Europe significantly worsen the overall picture: 23% of new cases in the region are considered multidrug-resistant (while the global figure is only 3.2%), and among patients who have previously undergone treatment, resistance is observed in 51% of cases, compared to 16% globally. This places Europe in a difficult position amid a global problem.
The Director of the WHO European Office, Hans Kluge, noted: "One in five tuberculosis patients in our region goes unnoticed, which not only indicates shortcomings in diagnosis but also deprives us of the opportunity to prevent suffering and further transmission of the infection." He added that it is necessary to accelerate diagnostic processes, implement short oral treatment regimens, and strengthen monitoring to achieve the set goals.
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