Global breakdown in TB care requires urgent action, WHO says

On World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, celebrated on 24 March, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for urgent investment in resources to maintain TB support services around the world. With more than 1 million new cases of infection each year, TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, and ongoing drastic cuts in global health funding threaten to undermine global efforts to combat the spread of the disease. Funding cuts are impeding access to prevention, screening, and treatment services for people living with TB, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. Growing drug resistance, especially in Europe, and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe, constitute additional risk factors for the most vulnerable.
Twenty-seven countries in the African region, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific regions are facing serious impacts, including human resource shortages that compromise disease monitoring and health service delivery, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment, and increased transmission risks. Some countries also report shortages in TB drug procurement and supply chains. Efforts to accelerate the development of a TB vaccine also remain at risk without urgent financial commitments. In light of this, the WHO has renewed its commitment to collaborate with donors, partners, civil society, and affected countries to mitigate the impact of funding cuts and identify innovative solutions.