The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for urgent action to address sweeping disruptions in tuberculosis (TB) services across the globe, warning that millions of lives are now at risk. The appeal comes on the heels of the World Tuberculosis Day, commemorated on 24 March, amid reports of drastic funding cuts that threaten to reverse decades of progress in TB prevention and care.
TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, claiming over one million lives annually, with devastating social and economic impacts on families and communities. Despite an estimated 79 million lives saved through global efforts since 2000, WHO cautions that recent developments, including growing drug resistance and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe, have compounded existing challenges.
Speaking on the 2025 World TB Day theme, “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver,” the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, lamented the consequences of dwindling financial commitments. He warned that the significant gains recorded over the last two decades are now under threat as countries grapple with the impact of reduced global health funding.
“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 for people with TB,” he said.
“But we cannot give up on the concrete commitments that world leaders made at the UN General Assembly just 18 months ago to accelerate work 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.” he urged.
Reports submitted to WHO indicate that countries in the African Region have been the hardest hit by the current disruptions, followed by those in the South-East Asian and Western Pacific Regions. Twenty-seven countries, it was gathered, are already experiencing critical breakdowns in their TB response systems, with severe shortages in human resources, diagnostic services, surveillance and data management. Community engagement initiatives, such as active case finding and contact tracing, have also deteriorated, increasing the risk of delayed diagnoses and the spread of infection.
Furthermore, nine countries are reportedly facing major disruptions in their TB drug procurement and supply chains, placing patients at risk of treatment interruptions and poor outcomes.
WHO disclosed that the funding cuts in 2025 have further worsened an already underfunded global TB response. In 2023, only 26 per cent of the US$22 billion required annually for TB prevention and care was made available. Research into new tools for TB has also suffered, with only one-fifth of the US$5 billion annual target for TB research and development being met in 2022. The organisation warned that advancements in diagnostics, treatment and vaccine development are being delayed, despite ongoing efforts through the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council.
Reacting to the situation, WHO’s Director-General and the Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis issued a joint statement calling on governments, donors and global health leaders to act swiftly in addressing the crisis. The joint statement outlined five priorities, including urgent restoration of TB services, securing sustainable domestic funding, safeguarding access to essential TB care, strengthening collaboration platforms, and enhancing monitoring and early warning systems.
“This urgent call is timely and underscores the necessity of swift, decisive action to sustain global TB progress and prevent setbacks that could cost lives,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Programme on TB and Lung Health. “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 US$43 in economic returns.”
As part of its strategic response, WHO has released new technical guidance promoting the integration of TB and lung health services into primary healthcare systems. The guidance outlines actions aimed at strengthening prevention, early detection and comprehensive management of TB and related health conditions. It also highlights the need to address common risk factors such as tobacco use, undernutrition, overcrowding and environmental pollution.
Dr Kasaeva maintained that a unified health approach tackling communicable and non-communicable diseases is crucial for improving health outcomes and ensuring a resilient TB response.
On the occasion of World TB Day, WHO has renewed its call to individuals, communities, donors, governments and stakeholders to recommit to the fight against TB. The organisation warned that without concerted action, decades of progress could be lost, undermining global health security and putting millions of lives in jeopardy.
 has called for urgent action to address sweeping disruptions in tuberculosis (TB)){kind=link}