The World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm on the threat of severe funding cuts to tuberculosis (TB) care and support services worldwide. On World Tuberculosis Day, marked on March 24, WHO is calling for an urgent investment of resources to protect and maintain these essential services.
TB remains a deadly infectious disease, responsible for over 1 million annual deaths globally. Despite progress in combatting TB, which has saved an estimated 79 million lives since 2000, severe funding cuts threaten to reverse these gains. The World Health Organization warns that rising drug resistance, particularly in Europe and the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe, is further exacerbating the situation.
The WHO is urging governments, donors, global health leaders, and policymakers to take immediate action to prevent disruptions to TB services. According to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, “We cannot give up on the concrete commitments world leaders made at the UN General Assembly just 18 months ago to accelerate work to end TB.” The organization is committed to working with all donors, partners, and affected countries to mitigate the impact of funding cuts.
According to early reports, severe disruptions in TB response have been seen across several high-burden countries. Countries in Africa are experiencing the greatest impact, followed by those in Southeast Asia and Western Pacific Regions. Twenty-seven countries are facing crippling breakdowns in their TB response, with devastating consequences.
The WHO is also highlighting the urgent need for increased funding to support global TB research. The organization’s efforts to accelerate TB vaccine development through the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council remain at risk without financial commitments.
To address these challenges, WHO has issued a joint statement with civil society, demanding immediate, coordinated efforts from governments and other stakeholders to prevent further disruptions. The statement outlines five critical priorities for sustaining global TB progress and preventing setbacks that could cost lives.
In addition, WHO is driving the integration of TB and lung health within primary healthcare as a sustainable solution. New technical guidance released by the organization outlines critical actions across the care continuum, focusing on prevention, early detection of TB and comorbidities, optimized management at first contact, and improved patient follow-up.
Ultimately, WHO is calling on everyone – individuals, communities, societies, donors, and governments – to do their part to end TB. Without concerted action from all stakeholders, the TB response will be decimated, reversing decades of progress and putting millions of lives at risk and threatening health security.
Source: https://www.who.int/news/item/20-03-2025-who-calls-for-urgent-action-to-address-worldwide-disruptions-in-tuberculosis-services-putting-millions-of-lives-at-risk