More cases of tuberculosis than previously thought, WHO reports

The global incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is higher than previously thought, after it was found that earlier estimates of the disease were too low.

According to the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2016, there were 10.4 million cases of the disease worldwide in 2015.1 Last year’s report put the figure at 9.6 million cases,2 but WHO says this figure is incorrect.

Six countries accounted for nearly 60% of the total burden, with India having the highest number of cases at 2.84 million. Last year’s report estimated that 2.2 million people had TB in India, but this figure has now been revised to 2.9 …