WHO Updates Various Tuberculosis Outbreak Lists

The World Health Organization (WHO) released on June 17, 2021, an updated global list of high burden countries for tuberculosis (TB), HIV-associated TB, and multidrug/rifampicin-resistant TB on June 17, 2021. The WHO's new lists are for 2021–2025.

The main changes compared with the previous lists for 2016-2020 are as follows:

• The 30 high TB burden countries: Cambodia, the Russian Federation, and Zimbabwe, have transitioned out of the list; while Gabon, Mongolia, and Uganda have joined the list.
• The 30 high TB/HIV burden countries: Angola, Chad, Ghana, and Papua New Guinea have transitioned out of the list; and Gabon, Guinea, the Philippines, and the Russian Federation have joined the list.
• The 30 high MDR/RR-TB burden countries. Ethiopia, Kenya, and Thailand have transitioned out of the list; moreover, Mongolia, Nepal, and Zambia have joined the list.

The context of the COVID-19 pandemic was considered before finalize the updated global high-burden country lists. Based on this analysis, it was concluded that it was unlikely that the COVID-19 pandemic would change the countries included in each list, stated the WHO.

Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain, says the U.S. CDC.

In November 2019, the WHO removed a freeze-dried BCG vaccine (GreenSignal Bio Pharma Pvt Ltd., India.) to prevent tuberculosis from its list of prequalified vaccines for procurement by UN agencies.

Alternative sources of prequalified BCG vaccines are available, such as Merck's TICE BCG vaccine.

BCG should be considered for very select people who meet specific criteria and in consultation with a TB expert in the USA. In addition, health care providers who are considering BCG vaccination for their patients are encouraged to discuss this intervention with the TB control program in their area, says the CDC.