Tuberculosis infected 8 million people last year, the most WHO has ever tracked

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says more than 8 million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis last year. That’s the highest number recorded since the U.N. health agency began keeping track. The agency’s new report was released Tuesday. It also says that TB has likely returned to being the world’s leading infectious disease killer after being replaced by COVID-19. About 1.25 million people died of TB last year. WHO says TB continues to mostly affect people in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Western Pacific. Tuberculosis is caused by airborne bacteria that mostly affects the lungs.