As the world marks World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) is issuing an urgent call for increased funding and resources to protect essential TB care and support services across all regions. TB remains the deadliest infectious disease globally, claiming over a million lives each year and having devastating effects on families and communities.
Since 2000, efforts to combat TB have saved approximately 79 million lives. However, recent drastic cuts in global health funding now put this progress at risk. Rising drug resistance, ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe, and funding shortages are further worsening the crisis, leaving vulnerable populations most at risk.
Under the theme “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver,” the 2025 World TB Day campaign calls for urgent action, accountability, and hope. “The significant progress made in the fight against TB over the past two decades is now in jeopardy as budget cuts begin to disrupt prevention, screening, and treatment services,” warned Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General. “We must not abandon the commitments world leaders made at the United Nations General Assembly just 18 months ago to accelerate efforts toward ending TB.”
Funding Shortfalls Threaten Global TB Response
According to WHO reports, severe disruptions in TB services have been observed in many of the hardest-hit countries due to budget reductions. The WHO African Region has been most affected, followed by countries in the South-East Asian and Western Pacific Regions. 27 countries are currently experiencing critical breakdowns in their TB response, leading to:
- Severe shortages of healthcare workers, weakening service delivery.
- Disruptions in diagnostic services, delaying detection and treatment.
- Collapsing disease surveillance systems, making TB tracking and management difficult.
- Decline in community outreach efforts, such as active case finding, screenings, and contact tracing—leading to more missed diagnoses and increased TB transmission.
- Nine countries struggling with TB drug procurement and supply chains, threatening treatment continuity and patient health.
Even before these new funding cuts, global TB response was significantly underfunded. In 2023, only 26% of the required $22 billion annual funding for TB prevention and treatment was available, leaving a massive gap. TB research funding is also critically low, receiving just one-fifth of the $5 billion needed in 2022, delaying advancements in diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. Although WHO is working to speed up TB vaccine development through the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council, progress remains at risk without urgent financial commitments.
WHO and Civil Society Demand Urgent Action
In response to the worsening crisis, WHO’s Director-General and the Civil Society Task Force on TB have issued a joint statement calling for immediate, coordinated efforts from governments, health organizations, donors, and policymakers. The statement emphasizes five key priorities:
- Addressing disruptions in TB services with urgency, ensuring responses match the severity of the crisis.
- Securing sustainable domestic funding to guarantee uninterrupted and equitable access to TB care.
- Protecting essential TB services, including access to medications, diagnostics, treatment, and social support, while fostering collaboration across different sectors.
- Strengthening national partnerships by bringing together civil society, NGOs, donors, and professional groups to address challenges collectively.
- Improving monitoring and early warning systems to track disruptions in real-time and respond proactively.
“This urgent call highlights the critical need for swift and decisive action to prevent setbacks that could cost millions of lives,” said Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Programme on TB and Lung Health. “Investing in TB eradication is not just a moral obligation—it also makes economic sense. Every $1 invested in TB prevention and treatment generates an estimated $43 in economic benefits.”
New WHO Guidance on TB and Lung Health
To address growing resource constraints, WHO is promoting the integration of TB and lung health services within primary healthcare as a sustainable solution. A newly released technical guide outlines essential actions, including:
- Strengthening prevention and early detection of TB and associated conditions.
- Optimizing care at the first point of contact and improving patient follow-up.
- Utilizing existing healthcare systems more effectively to tackle shared risk factors, such as overcrowding, tobacco use, malnutrition, and environmental pollution.
By addressing TB alongside other lung diseases and related conditions, WHO aims to enhance the global response and achieve long-term health improvements.
On World TB Day 2025, WHO calls on individuals, communities, donors, and governments to take action. Without a united effort, decades of progress could be lost, millions of lives will remain at risk, and global health security will be severely impacted.
