TB Remains Serious Public Health Threat in Afghanistan: Official

Afghanistan sees some 10,500 TB-related deaths annually, the public health minister said today in Kabul.

Suraya Dalil noted that the World Health Organization classifies Afghanistan as one of world’s 22 “TB high-burden countries.” The nation sees nearly 53,000 new active TB cases each year, and 66 percent of these infections are diagnosed among females.

TB’s impact on children is a particular challenge, said Dr. Ahmad Shadoul, WHO’s Afghanistan representative. Among the 670 children younger than age 15 diagnosed with TB last year, 465 patients were girls. “Because TB is often not considered a possible diagnosis, many children remain undetected,” he said, noting that children comprise about 10 percent of diagnosed cases.

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