Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
TB Faded During Covid But Now It's Back, CDC Data Shows
Tuberculosis cases reported in the United States appear to be returning to levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The US incidence of tuberculosis, or TB, increased slightly last year after a substantial 20.2% decline in 2020 and a 9.8% increase in 2021, according to the data published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Thursday, just a day ahead of World Tuberculosis Day. (Howard, 3/23)
The 2022 increase was due to more cases among people newly arrived in the United States as well as a higher incidence of cases among American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders, the report stated. (Branswell, 3/23)
Also —
In a defeat for Johnson & Johnson, the Indian patent office has rejected its bid to extend a monopoly on a crucial tuberculosis treatment, opening the door to lower-cost generic alternatives needed in low- and middle-income countries. (Silverman, 3/23)
Directly observed therapy — where a health professional watches someone take a medication — has been the standard of care for tuberculosis treatment in the United States since 2016. Now DOT, as it’s called, has an approved video alternative. (Branswell, 3/23)
