Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers, killing over 3,000 people every day. In 2022, TB killed 1.3 million people.
This is unacceptable.
We know how to end TB. We have the lifesaving tools to prevent, diagnose and treat TB, but we must break down the barriers and inequities that cause millions of people to suffer and die from TB every year.
The global community must act with a focused response that fights for equity and puts people and communities at the center. This is our moment to end TB for good.
TB: No Longer the Forgotten Pandemic?
For far too long, TB has been “the forgotten pandemic”: killing millions, but attracting a tiny fraction of the attention and resources that have been devoted to COVID-19 or even HIV. Yet now the fight against TB has remarkable momentum. In many countries, the setbacks from COVID-19 have already been more than reversed.
New Tools and Transformative Partnerships Can Help End TB
It appears new, lifechanging technologies come on the scene more and more with each passing year. In November 2022, the artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT dominated global headlines; by January 2023, the digital application had more than 100 million users and dozens of imitators. AI consumed world leaders at COP28 and the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos.
With Fresh Momentum, a Pivotal Moment for the Fight Against TB
In the fight against tuberculosis (TB), we may be on the cusp of an era of remarkable progress. The end of TB may not be here yet, but if the world grabs the momentum we have built in the last two years in the fight against this disease, we can make this moment the beginning of the end of an age-old disease.
Meet Mira Alimbaeva, drug-resistant TB survivor and Kyrgyz activist
Mira Alimbaeva, from Kyrgyzstan, holds a master’s degree in international relations from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest and is a member of the Global Fund Youth Council. She advocates for TB patients and raises awareness on TB stigma and discrimination in Kyrgyz society.
Chest Camps in Pakistan Bring TB Services to the People
On a cold winter day, Adnan Saeed and his brother Rizwan travel from their home to the nearby village of Chak 168 GB Sirāj, about an hour’s drive from Faisalabad, Pakistan. The temperature dips down toward 0 degrees Celsius; still, dozens of men, women and children gather around the tent, exchanging news and waiting to register for a tuberculosis (TB) screening and test.
Women at the Forefront: Providing Vital Care to Communities Caught in Crises
Natural disasters, extreme weather events, conflict and political instability can devastate local health systems, displace thousands of people and fuel the spread of disease. HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria disproportionately impact people caught in crises – which is why more than one-third of Global Fund investments support communities and countries navigating complex environments and emergencies.
