India's coronavirus pandemic is causing many more deaths from TB

By Nilanjana Bhowmick

A relative of a person with tuberculosis who is being treated at a government tuberculosis hospital in India

NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Covid-19 pandemic has clashed with the ongoing tuberculosis epidemic, leaving many without adequate medical care and staying at home where they could pass an infection on to others. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), global TB cases will increase by around 200,000 to 400,000 in 2020 alone, and most of the brunt will be borne by India as well as Indonesia, the Philippines and South Africa.

In 2019, 445,000 people died of TB …