Childhood tuberculosis (TB) cases have surged across Europe and Central Asia, according to a joint report released today by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe. The findings show a 9.6% year-over-year increase in TB infections among children under the age of 15, signaling ongoing disease transmission and raising concern among public health officials.
The 2025 edition of the report, Tuberculosis Epidemiological Surveillance and Monitoring in Europe, reveals that children accounted for 4.3% of all new and relapsed TB cases across the WHO European Region in 2023. Over 7,500 infections were recorded among children, with more than 2,400 cases affecting those under five years old an age group particularly vulnerable to severe illness and death from TB. In total, the region, which includes 53 countries spanning Europe and Central Asia, reported over 172,000 new or relapsed TB cases in 2023.
While this figure remains consistent with 2022 data, health authorities warn that the long-term impact of COVID-19 disruptions continues to hinder progress. Diagnostic delays and treatment interruptions during the pandemic are believed to have contributed to underreported and untreated cases, especially among children. Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, described the current situation as a “reminder that progress in combating this preventable and curable disease remains unsustainable.”
He noted that the rise in cases among children reflects broader transmission trends and signals a need for renewed urgency in TB control efforts. Of particular concern is the treatment gap in the European Union and associated countries, where data show uncertainty regarding whether one in five children with TB completed their treatment. Failure to adhere to full treatment regimens increases the risk of developing multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), which is significantly more difficult and expensive to treat.
According to the report, first-line TB treatments were effective in 75.5% of cases region-wide. However, the success rate dropped to 59.7% among patients with MDR-TB. The report also identifies disparities between countries, with lower treatment success rates observed in the European Economic Area compared to the broader region 67.9% versus 77.2%, respectively. International funding cuts pose an additional threat to TB control programs.
WHO has warned that recent reductions in global aid are already impacting essential health services in 27 countries and could further strain TB programs in Europe and Central Asia. Kluge emphasized the importance of scaling up prevention, investing in shorter, non-injectable treatment regimens, and securing new partnerships to meet the goal of ending TB by 2030. The report underscores the urgent need for intensified surveillance, timely diagnosis, and patient-centered treatment approaches to curb the spread of TB and drug-resistant strains, especially among vulnerable populations such as young children. – By EuroWire News Desk.