AN ESTIMATED one in five tuberculosis (TB) cases in the WHO European Region are undiagnosed or unreported, according to a new joint surveillance report from WHO Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
More than 20% of new TB cases in Europe are multidrug-resistant, compared with approximately 3% globally, WHO reported.
In the same vein, more than half of previously treated TB cases in Europe are resistant to rifampicin, a drug used in the initial phase of standard TB treatment.
This is more than three times the global rate of rifampicin resistance in previously treated TB cases, which lies at 16%.
Challenges in Europe
The issue in Europe is two-pronged: challenges in TB detection alongside drug-resistance levels substantially higher than in other regions.
Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said: “One in five people with TB in the European Region are still being missed by health services.
“That is not only a failure in detection – it is a missed chance to treat earlier, prevent suffering, and stop further transmission.
“We have made progress, with TB incidence down by 39% and deaths down by 49% since 2015.
“But we are still not moving fast enough, and drug-resistant TB remains one of the most serious threats we face.
“In the words of this year’s World TB Day theme: yes, we can end TB – led by countries and powered by people.
“By investing in rapid diagnosis, shorter all-oral treatment regimens and stronger follow-up, countries can reach more people earlier, improve outcomes, and put us back on track toward our targets.”
Latest Detection Rates
In 2024, more than 161,000 newly diagnosed TB cases were reported in 51 of the 53 countries in the European Region.
Yet less than 80% of the estimated new and relapse TB cases in the Region were notified.
Experts warned of the dangers of underdiagnosis: that individuals cannot access treatment and continue to transmit TB in their communities.
WHO and ECDC are calling for Member States to: intensify TB prevention and early case detection to close the diagnostic gap, scale up access to WHO-recommended rapid diagnostics and drug susceptibility testing, expand shorter, all-oral treatment regimens for drug-resistant TB, strengthen integration of TB and HIV services, and improve surveillance reporting on HIV co-infection.
Reference
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and World Health Organization. Tuberculosis surveillance and monitoring in Europe. 2026. Available at: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/Book%202026%2020260320%20%281%29.pdf. Last accessed: 24 March 2026.
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