Aktuelle Epidemiologie der Tuberkulose weltweit,in Europa und in Deutschland

Background

Tuberculosis remains one of the most important infectious diseases worldwide. For 2011 the World Health Organization estimated that there were 8.7 million new cases of tuberculosis and 1.4 million deaths from tuberculosis.

Objectives

This article gives an overview on the current tuberculosis (TB) situation worldwide, in Europe as well as in Germany. Special attention is given to drug resistance and the HIV and tuberculosis coepidemic as they strongly impact on the epidemiology of tuberculosis.

Methods

International and national epidemiological reports on tuberculosis as well as selected epidemiological studies were considered. Challenges for tuberculosis control in Germany are discussed.

Results

Globally, a slight decline in tuberculosis incidence is currently being observed. This is partly attributed to improvements in diagnostic and therapeutic care and also for HIV infected patients. However, drug resistance rates are causing concern, especially in several newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Although tuberculosis case numbers and incidences in the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA) are comparably low, tuberculosis still represents a considerable burden of disease. In Germany, as in several other western European countries with a low incidence of tuberculosis, case numbers are stagnating and childhood tuberculosis is slightly increasing. Therefore, efforts to ensure an effective tuberculosis control cannot be allowed to wane.