WHO Calls For Urgent Investment As TB Funding Cuts Threaten Progress.
As the world marks World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a strong call for urgent investment in TB care, warning that drastic funding cuts could reverse decades of progress in combating the disease.
TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, claiming the lives of over one million people annually and leaving devastating impacts on families and communities. Despite significant advancements, WHO has expressed concerns that recent cuts in global health funding are putting these gains at risk.
In a statement to mark the day, celebrated every 24 March, WHO revealed that global efforts have saved an estimated 79 million lives since 2000. However, it warned that rising drug resistance, particularly across Europe, and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe are making the situation even more dire for vulnerable populations.
This year’s World TB Day theme, “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver,” serves as a call for urgency, accountability, and hope. WHO’s Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasised the importance of maintaining global commitments, stating:
“The huge gains the world has made against TB over the past 20 years are now at risk as cuts to funding start to disrupt access to services for prevention, screening, and treatment. But we cannot give up on the commitments world leaders made at the UN General Assembly 18 months ago to accelerate work to end TB.”
Dr Ghebreyesus highlighted that early reports to WHO show severe disruptions in TB responses across high-burden countries due to the funding cuts. The greatest impact has been observed in the WHO African Region, followed by the Southeast Asian and Western Pacific Regions.
Currently, 27 countries are facing severe breakdowns in their TB response, leading to:
– Shortages of healthcare workers, affecting service delivery
– Severe disruptions in diagnostic services, delaying detection and treatment
– Collapsing data and surveillance systems, making disease tracking difficult
– Deteriorating community engagement efforts, reducing screening and contact tracing, ultimately increasing transmission risks
WHO has reaffirmed its commitment to working with donors, partners, and affected countries to mitigate the impact of funding cuts and find innovative solutions to sustain TB care.
