The Challenge
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers. More than 1.6 million people died of TB in 2021, including people living with HIV. It is the leading killer of people living with HIV, causing one in three deaths.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the fight against TB. Deaths from the disease rose for the first time in more than a decade, driven by a surge in undiagnosed and untreated cases. For the first time in the Global Fund’s history, there have been significant declines in key TB programmatic results compared to the previous year. Between 2019 and 2020, nearly 1 million fewer people were treated for TB in the countries where the Global Fund invests. The number of people treated for drug-resistant TB fell by 19%, and for extensively drug-resistant TB by 37%.
To address the severe disruptions caused by COVID-19, and end both COVID-19 and TB as global health threats, both diseases need to be fought at the same time. We must urgently scale up adaptation and mitigation efforts to regain lost progress against TB, and increase investments in the same tools, health workers and systems for health that are needed to fight TB and COVID-19 and to prepare for future airborne pandemics.
Trends in new TB cases (all forms)
In countries where the Global Fund invests
Tuberculosis by the Numbers:
Funding
- The Global Fund provides 76% of all international financing for TB.
- We have invested US$8.5 billion in programs to prevent and treat TB as of June 2022.
Prevention
- 395,000 people exposed to TB received preventive therapy in 2021.
Testing and Treatment
- 5.3 million people treated for TB in 2021.
- 110,000 people on treatment for drug-resistant TB in 2021.
- 283,000 TB patients living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy during TB treatment in 2021.