A new study published in The Lancet Public Health found that tuberculosis diagnoses plummeted as much as 100 percent in Central and North America in 2021, and nearly 87 percent in Western Europe in 2022 (compared to expected levels). This pattern was distinct from tuberculosis diagnoses among the general population, which experienced a decline in 2020, but generally began increasing again in subsequent years. Incarceration levels remained largely consistent from 2020-2022, suggesting that the reduction in reported TB cases was likely due to other factors, such as reduced capacity for prisons to test and diagnose TB during the unprecedented global crisis.

Professional society will continue to work with stakeholders to develop a more effective and efficient legislative regulatory framework that ensures high-quality patient care while fostering rapid innovation and the promise of new diagnostic technologies