Health
Tuberculosis has overtaken COVID as world's deadliest infectious disease
Tuberculosis (TB) is once again the infectious disease responsible for the most deaths worldwide, according to a Tuesday announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The contagious disease was responsible for 1.25 million global deaths in 2023, WHO reported, including 161,000 people with HIV.
COVID-19 had overtaken TB as the world’s leading infectious killer for the previous three years.
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What to know about tuberculosis
TB is a preventable and curable disease caused by bacteria that typically impacts the lungs, according to WHO.
This 2006 electron microscope image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which causes the disease tuberculosis. (Janice Carr/CDC/AP)
It is an airborne contagion that can be spread through coughing, sneezing or saliva.
While around 25% of people have likely been infected with the bacteria, only 5% to 10% will experience symptoms and develop the disease, the same source stated.
Only people with symptoms can spread the disease.
Who is at risk?
“If you breathe, you can catch TB — so all people are at risk,” Masae Kawamura, M.D., a former TB control director in San Francisco and a tuberculosis clinician, told Fox News Digital.
Kawamura calls TB a “social disease of crowding and mobility.”
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“Since TB is airborne, congregate settings like hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, jails, classrooms and homeless shelters are places TB is more easily spread, especially if multiple risks are involved,” she said.
Those at the highest risk of developing TB disease after exposure include people who have diabetes, have weakened immunity, are malnourished, use tobacco and/or drink excess amounts of alcohol.
Babies and children are also at higher risk.
“If a person has latent TB infection, TB disease activation varies from 5% to 15% over a lifetime, but can be higher if a person has multiple risks, such being an elderly person and/or being malnourished, having diabetes and/or having other diseases that weaken the immune system,” said Kawamura.
Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
Those who get sick with TB may experience mild symptoms, including coughing, chest pain, fatigue, weight loss, weakness, fever and night sweats, according to WHO.
Symptoms will vary depending on which organs are affected.
“If you breathe, you can catch TB — so all people are at risk.”
In addition to the lungs, the disease can also affect the kidneys, spine, skin and brain.
“TB can affect any organ of the body, but it causes disease in the lung in over 80% of cases,” said Kawamura.
“This is dangerous because it causes cough, the mechanism of airborne spread.”
TB is an airborne contagion that can be spread through coughing, sneezing or saliva. (iStock)
In more severe cases, patients may cough up blood, noted Kawamura, who serves on the board of directors of Vital Strategies, a global public health organization.
“Often there are minimal symptoms for a long time and people mistake their occasional cough with allergies, smoking or a cold they can’t shake off,” she added.
TB can be identified with rapid diagnostic tests, WHO noted.
The disease is treated with antibiotics that are taken every day for four to six months, the same source stated. Some of the most common include isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol.
“TB can affect any organ of the body, but it causes disease in the lung in over 80% of cases,” an expert said. “This is dangerous because it causes cough, the mechanism of airborne spread.” (iStock)
Failing to take the complete course of medications can cause the bacteria to become drug-resistant.
Cases of drug-resistant TB need to be treated with different medications.
When TB becomes deadly
If TB goes untreated, it is fatal in about half of its victims, according to Kawamura.
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“About 25% recover on their own and another 25% persist as chronic active TB cases,” she said.
In the U.S., most active TB cases are detected at an earlier stage, the expert noted, but the death rate is still “shockingly high” at 10%, and much higher if the patient is over 65 years old.
Prevention of the disease
There is a childhood vaccine called BCG (Bacille-Calmette-Guerin) that is given in most of the world to infants, Kawamura noted.
“It reduces death, meningitis and organ dissemination by 75% in children under 5 — however, it does not prevent TB infection and is ineffective in adults,” the doctor told Fox News Digital.
The best means of prevention is testing those at risk and treating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), a doctor advised. (iStock)
“Overall, BCG is considered ineffective, hence, TB’s title as the greatest infectious disease killer of all time.”
BCG was never used in the U.S. because of the country’s lower rates of TB, its ineffectiveness and its interference with TB tests, she added.
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The best means of prevention is testing those at risk and treating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), according to the doctor.
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
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The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
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