Tuberculosis Deaths Drop to 1.23 Million, But Progress Threatened by Funding Shortfall, WHO Reports
Geneva, Switzerland – Global deaths from tuberculosis (TB) fell by 3% to 1.23 million people in 2024, marking the first decline in cases and deaths as the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Institution (WHO) announced Wednesday in its annual TB report. Overall TB cases also decreased by nearly 2% since 2023.
The positive trend comes as a record 8.3 million people accessed TB treatment following a new diagnosis, and treatment success rates rose from 68% to 71%. Though, the WHO cautioned that this progress is at risk due to a significant shortfall in financial aid, perhaps reversing hard-won gains.
“Declines in the global burden of TB and progress in testing, treatment, social protection and research are all welcome news after years of setbacks, but progress is not victory,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The fact that TB continues to claim over a million lives each year despite being preventable and curable is simply unconscionable.”
In 2024, available funding for TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment reached $5.9 billion - far short of the $22 billion annual target set for 2027. The WHO warns that sustained funding cuts could lead to up to 2 million additional deaths and 10 million more people falling ill with TB between 2025 and 2035.
While TB deaths in 2024 represent a 29% decrease from 2015 levels, the WHO had aimed for a 75% reduction by 2025 and a 90% reduction by 2030.
“Long-term cuts to international donor funding could result in up to 2 million additional deaths and 10 million people falling ill with TB between 2025 and 2035,” warned Tereza Kasaeva, director of WHOS division for tuberculosis, HIV and related infections.
The agency’s financial stability has been challenged recently,including a 21% cut to proposed spending following the United States’ withdrawal from the WHO in January. Reductions in foreign aid from the US Agency for International Progress have also raised concerns.The WHO estimates that critical international aid prevented 3.65 million deaths from TB last year.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. It primarily affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. TB is spread through the air when people with active TB disease cough, sneeze, or otherwise transmit the infection. While preventable and curable with a course of antibiotics, TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, disproportionately impacting low- and middle-income countries.
