Pattern of situation of tuberculosis in the Islamic republic of Afghanistan

Purpose of the study: to study the incidence of tuberculosis depending on gender, age and regional characteristics over the past 6 years (2017-2022) in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Material and methods: Data from the official statistics of the National Tuberculosis Program of Afghanistan, as well as the WHO assessment of the incidence of tuberculosis in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan over the past 6 years (2017-2022) were analyzed. Results: In the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the situation with tuberculosis remains a cause for concern. Over the past 6 years, the difference in the frequency of detection of new cases of tuberculosis between the WHO estimate and official statistics ranges from 26.7% to 36.9%. It should be noted that in 2017-2019, the detection of tuberculosis improved slightly; in 2019-2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, the detection of new cases of tuberculosis decreased, and in 2020-2022 it increased again.. Over the past 6 years More women than men suffer from tuberculosis. The difference in incidence is 4490 cases in 2017, 7936 in 2018, 10990 in 2019, 4230 in 2020, 12453 in 2021 and 5690 cases in 2022 and is significant. In 2022, as in other years, more (40%) were diagnosed with tuberculosis in young people aged 15-34 years. Moreover, about 11% of new cases (5562 out of 51654 cases) were registered in the age group 0-4 years, which should be paid special attention to. The most serious situation regarding the incidence of tuberculosis is in the Khost, Nangarhar and Nimroz regions, which are 350, 324 and 315 per 100 thousand population, respectively. The best situation for tuberculosis incidence is in the Panjshir, Maidan-Wardak and Bamiyan regions, which are 47, 72 and 83 per 100,000 population, respectively. Conclusions: The difference in the incidence of new cases of tuberculosis between the WHO estimate and official statistics ranges from 26.7% to 36.9%. In 2019-2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, the number of new cases of tuberculosis decreased, and in 2020-2022 it increased again. Women are more prone to tuberculosis than men. 40% of new cases of tuberculosis are registered among young people aged 15-34 years, about 11% of new cases are registered in the age group 0-4 years. Among the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, the worst situation is in the provinces of Khost, Nangarhar and Nimroz, and the best situation for tuberculosis is in the provinces of Panjshir, Maidan Wardak and Bamiyan.