## Global Tuberculosis Report Highlights Progress and Persistent Challenges
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a report detailing the ongoing global fight against tuberculosis (TB),outlining both notable advancements and critical areas needing urgent attention. The report underscores the importance of the WHO End TB Strategy as a guiding framework, while acknowledging the disproportionate burden carried by a limited number of countries.
A significant 87% of all new TB cases globally in 2024 were concentrated within just 30 nations. Specifically, eight countries – india (25%), Indonesia (10%), the Philippines (6.8%),China (6.5%),Pakistan (6.3%), Nigeria (4.8%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.9%), and Bangladesh (3.6%) – accounted for 67% of the worldwide total. This highlights the necessity for accelerated progress within these high-burden areas.
Despite these challenges, considerable strides have been made in TB diagnosis and treatment, resulting in an estimated 83 million lives saved as 2000. Between 2023 and 2024, continued improvements were observed in TB diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, driven by sustained efforts and innovation. In 2024, 8.3 million people newly diagnosed with TB were able to access treatment, representing approximately 78% of those who developed the disease. Furthermore, coverage of rapid TB diagnostic testing increased from 48% in 2023 to 54% in 2024. Treatment for drug-susceptible TB remains highly effective, boasting an 88% success rate. Progress is also being made in combating drug-resistant TB, with over 164,000 people receiving treatment in 2024 and a treatment success rate rising to 71% from 68% the previous year. preventive treatment coverage also expanded, reaching 5.3 million people at high risk of TB in 2024, up from 4.7 million in 2023.
The report emphasizes that addressing the social and economic factors driving the TB epidemic is crucial. For the first time, WHO has reported on progress towards social protection targets established at the 2023 UN High-Level meeting on TB, utilizing data from the International Labor Organization (ILO). Coverage of social protection programs among the 30 high-burden countries varies dramatically, ranging from 3.1% in Uganda to 94% in mongolia, with 19 countries reporting coverage below 50%. The report also identifies key risk factors, including undernutrition, HIV infection, diabetes, smoking, and alcohol use, alongside broader structural determinants like poverty, requiring coordinated, multisectoral action.
However, progress is jeopardized by significant funding gaps. Global funding for TB has stagnated as 2020, reaching only US$5.9 billion in 2024 – a mere quarter of the US$22 billion annual target set for 2027. Projected cuts to international donor funding from 2025 onward pose a serious threat, with modelling studies predicting up to 2 million additional deaths and 10 million new TB cases between 2025 and 2035.
TB research funding also remains insufficient, reaching US$1.2 billion in 2023 (24% of the target). Despite this,research and development efforts are expanding,with 63 diagnostic tests and 29 drugs currently in clinical trials,alongside 18 vaccine candidates,including 6 in Phase 3. WHO continues to lead global efforts to accelerate TB vaccine development, supported by the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council.
“We are at a defining moment in the fight against TB,” stated Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and stis. “Funding cuts and persistent drivers of the epidemic threaten to undo hard-won gains, but with political commitment, sustained investment, and global solidarity, we can turn the tide and end this ancient killer once and for all.”
The WHO is urging sustained political commitment, increased domestic investment, and intensified research to accelerate progress towards ending TB globally.
