The tuberculosis disease in Morocco affects around 100 people every day, and causes the death of nine individuals daily, according to Dr. Tayeb Hamdi, a physician and researcher in health policies and systems.
The doctor wrote in a medical paper that while the annual rates of tuberculosis infection are decreasing, that is happening very slowly, with the most affected populations being people living in densely populated neighborhoods and impoverished areas surrounding cities.
15% of tuberculosis cases go undetected and undiagnosed annually, he said, and drug-resistant cases are not being adequately diagnosed, exacerbating the tuberculosis problem. Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis accounts for half of the cases, posing a significant challenge.
Dr. Hamdi cited the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that Morocco records 96 new tuberculosis cases and nine deaths from the disease every day.
In 2021, Morocco saw a total of 35,000 new cases or relapses, representing an infection rate of 94 new cases per 100,000 people. 3,300 people died of tuberculosis that year.
One out of every ten tuberculosis patients in Morocco dies, according to Dr. Hamdi, and one out of every five tuberculosis patients also suffers from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome at the same time.
Tuberculosis affects men at a rate of 59% compared to 41% of women, with the most affected individuals aged 25 to 34, i.e. the most productive age group in society.
The doctor stated that the highest number of infections per 100,000 people occur in the regions of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, and Casablanca-Settat.
He warned that to reduce or even eliminate the disease, a number of areas must be improved, including early screening and diagnosis, managing contact cases and at-risk individuals, broadening preventive treatment, facilitating access to care through new and rapid diagnostic technologies, providing free screenings for detection and disease monitoring, supporting patients to cover transportation costs and providing nutritional assistance.
Given the ease of transmissibility, “treating the patient ensures the safety of the community as a whole,” the doctor said.
“Other social determinants such as poverty, housing conditions, adequate nutrition, smoking, standard of living, immune status, and chronic diseases such as diabetes, among other factors” must also be addressed.
About a quarter of the world’s population has been infected with tuberculosis bacteria, but the majority have latent infections, according to WHO statistics cited in the doctor’s paper. Approximately five to ten percent of them will eventually develop symptoms and contract tuberculosis.
Dr. Hamdi also warned that individuals with weakened immune systems, such as those with human immunodeficiency virus, malnutrition, diabetes, or those who smoke or consume alcohol, are more susceptible to contracting the disease.