World Tuberculosis Day 2026
Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, causing over 1.2 million deaths globally in 2024. Despite being preventable and curable, TB remains a persistent, evolving threat that demands urgency, collaboration, innovation and smart investment.
As external resources decline and financial pressures grow, ending TB as a public health threat depends on strong country leadership – an approach that will deliver faster and more sustainable progress. This transition from external funding support to self-reliance must be coordinated carefully – it is a pathway, not a switch.
Innovation is one of the most powerful levers to end TB. New diagnostics, shorter and more effective treatment regimens, and AI-enabled digital X-rays are transforming the fight against TB. But innovation alone does not save lives, it must also reach the people most at risk.
The Global Fund is working with partners to maximize access and uptake and ensure new tools translate into real world impact.
Yes! We can end TB – by backing country-led responses, scaling innovation and maximizing the impact of every dollar. Led by countries. Powered by innovation.
A New Front Line: How AI and Other Innovations are Transforming the Fight Against TB
There’s no shortage of hype about AI in health care, but in the fight against tuberculosis (TB), AI is already powering a revolution. Handheld digital X-ray devices use AI to stabilize the image. AI analysis of X-ray results enable high volume, high-quality…
How AI Is Accelerating the Fight Against an Ancient Killer
Tuberculosis (TB) remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease – an ancient killer that still claims over a million lives each year, mostly among the world’s poorest and hardest-to-reach. Yet we are on the brink of a new era of progress in the fight…