The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for urgent investment in resources to protect and sustain tuberculosis (TB) care and support services for those in need across regions and countries.

"TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, responsible for over one million deaths annually, bringing devastating impacts on families and communities."

The theme for this year’s World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, observed annually on March 24, is "Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver." This campaign serves as a rallying cry for urgency, accountability, and hope.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, stated that the significant progress made against TB over the past two decades is now at risk due to funding cuts that are disrupting access to prevention, screening, and treatment services.

“But we cannot give up on the concrete commitments that world leaders made at the UN General Assembly just 18 months ago to accelerate efforts to end TB. WHO is committed to working with all donors, partners, and affected countries to mitigate the impact of funding cuts and find innovative solutions.”

Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 79 million lives since 2000. However, drastic and abrupt cuts in global health funding now threaten to reverse these gains.

“Rising drug resistance, particularly across Europe, and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe are further exacerbating the situation for the most vulnerable.”

Early reports to WHO indicate severe disruptions in TB response across several high-burden countries following the funding cuts. Countries in the WHO African Region have been hit the hardest, followed by those in the WHO South-East Asian and Western Pacific Regions.

WHO has identified 27 countries experiencing severe breakdowns in their TB response, leading to devastating consequences, such as:

Human resource shortages undermining service delivery.

Disruptions in diagnostic services, delaying detection and treatment.

Collapsing data and surveillance systems, compromising disease tracking and management.

Deteriorating community engagement efforts, including case finding, screening, and contact tracing, leading to delayed diagnoses and increased transmission risks.

Failing TB drug procurement and supply chains in nine countries, jeopardizing treatment continuity and patient outcomes.

“The 2025 funding cuts further exacerbate the already existing underfunding for the global TB response. In 2023, only 26% of the $22 billion annually needed for TB prevention and care was available, leaving a massive shortfall. TB research is also in crisis, receiving just one-fifth of the $5 billion annual target in 2022, severely delaying advancements in diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines.”

WHO is leading efforts to accelerate TB vaccine development through the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council, but progress remains at risk without urgent financial commitments.

In response to these challenges, WHO’s Director-General and the Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis have issued a decisive statement demanding immediate, coordinated efforts from governments, global health leaders, donors, and policymakers to prevent further disruptions.

The joint statement outlines five critical priorities:

Urgently addressing TB service disruptions and ensuring responses match the scale of the crisis.

Securing sustainable domestic funding for TB programs.

Guaranteeing uninterrupted and equitable access to TB prevention and care, including essential drugs, diagnostics, treatment, and social protections.

Establishing or revitalizing national collaboration platforms, fostering alliances among civil society, NGOs, donors, and professional societies to tackle challenges.

Enhancing monitoring and early warning systems to assess real-time impact and detect disruptions early.

Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Programme on TB and Lung Health, emphasized the necessity of swift, decisive action to sustain global TB progress and prevent setbacks that could cost lives.

“Investing in ending TB is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity—every dollar spent on prevention and treatment yields an estimated $43 in economic returns.”

As a solution to growing resource constraints, WHO is promoting the integration of TB and lung health within primary healthcare as a sustainable strategy. By addressing TB alongside other communicable and non-communicable diseases, lung conditions, and disabilities through a unified approach, WHO aims to reinforce the global response and drive lasting improvements in health outcomes.