Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers, killing over 3,000 people every day. In 2022, TB killed 1.3 million people.
This is unacceptable.
We know how to end TB. We have the lifesaving tools to prevent, diagnose and treat TB, but we must break down the barriers and inequities that cause millions of people to suffer and die from TB every year.
The global community must act with a focused response that fights for equity and puts people and communities at the center. This is our moment to end TB for good.
#WorldTBDay
Table of Contents
State of the Fight Against TB
Key Messages
Stories of the Fight
- Chest Camps in Pakistan Bring TB Services to the People (English and Français)
- Oxana Provides Comprehensive Care to Refugees in Moldova (English and Français)
- Dr. Khiếu Prepares a New Generation to Fight TB in Viet Nam (English and Français)
Social Media Messages and Multimedia
Data Explorer
Resources:
Inequity is the biggest barrier to ending TB. Those most vulnerable to TB, often those living in poverty or with environmental risk factors, can face catastrophic costs to access diagnosis and treatment.
State of the Fight: Tuberculosis
Scaling up progress in the fight against TB is crucial to win the battle against this disease. We must bring focused testing, treatment and care services to the people who most need them.
- The Global Fund provides 76% of all international financing to fight TB.
Key tuberculosis results in countries where the Global Fund invests:
- 6.7 million people were treated for TB in 2022.
- 118,000 people were on treatment for drug-resistant TB in 2022.
- 331,000 TB patients living with HIV were on antiretroviral therapy during TB treatment in 2022.
- 1.5 million people exposed to TB received preventive therapy in 2022.
An all-in response to fight TB today actively contributes to building a safer, healthier and more equitable world tomorrow.
Key Messages
TB remains one of the top infectious disease killers in the world. In 2022, TB killed 1.3 million people.
We have the tools to end TB – a preventable, treatable and curable disease. The global community must act now to finally beat this disease that millions of people continue to suffer and die from every year.
Inequity is the biggest barrier to ending TB. Those most vulnerable to TB, often those living in poverty or with environmental risk factors, can face catastrophic costs to access diagnosis and treatment – not only the cost of lifesaving medicines, but also a loss of income.
The fight against TB must break down the social inequalities that continue to prevent vulnerable people from accessing the latest TB-fighting technology and innovation. In doing so, we must meaningfully engage communities, for solutions that are effective and sustainable.
When we fight TB, we fight other deadly diseases and prepare for the next pandemic. The same lab workers, diagnostic machines, supply chains, primary health care facilities, disease surveillance capabilities, and community health workers that fight TB prepare the world for future health threats.
An all-in response to fight TB today actively contributes to building a safer, healthier and more equitable world tomorrow.
When we fight TB, we fight other deadly diseases and prepare for the next pandemic. The same lab workers, diagnostic machines, supply chains, primary health care facilities, disease surveillance capabilities, and community health workers that fight TB prepare the world for future health threats.
Chest Camps in Pakistan Bring TB Services to the People
“The doctor is coming to you – and the care they provide is free.”
In Pakistan, mobile "chest camps" are combating TB by bringing diagnostics and treatment directly to remote communities. The camps, operated by Mercy Corps, provide a community-focused place where people can safely access health services without stigma, discrimination or the logistical difficulties often faced by those in need.
With the Global Fund’s support, Mercy Corps now holds 600 camps per month across 100 districts and procured 25 portable X-ray machines that can fit on the backs of motorbikes to reach even more remote communities.
X: In Pakistan, mobile "chest camps" are combating TB by bringing community-focused diagnostics and treatment directly to rural areas and vulnerable people. #WorldTBDay @MercyCorps https://globalfund.exposure.co/chest-camps-in-pakistan-bring-tb-services-to-the-people
X: Bringing TB care closer to home, mobile “chest camps” in Pakistan deliver diagnostics and treatment to remote communities to ensure no one is left behind in the fight against tuberculosis. #WorldTBDay @MercyCorps https://globalfund.exposure.co/chest-camps-in-pakistan-bring-tb-services-to-the-people
Oxana Provides Comprehensive Care to Refugees in Moldova
“There are still people who we don’t reach, or who we don’t get to in time.”
Oxana Rucsineau, a former schoolteacher living in Bălți, Moldova, contracted TB in her late twenties. Overcome with dizziness and fatigue, she was unable to work for three years.
Today, Oxana is working to ensure that others don’t suffer from this preventable, treatable disease – an increasingly critical challenge as thousands of displaced people flow into and move through Bălți, located just 60 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
“There are still people who we don’t reach, or who we don’t get to in time,” Oxana says.
Oxana met her husband, Pavel, in treatment for drug-resistant TB. They bonded over the challenges they faced to get well, and the stigma that came with their diagnoses.
In 2010, the pair founded the Society of Moldova against Tuberculosis (SMIT) to protect the rights of people affected by TB, including refugees.
SMIT connects those who are shunned or otherwise discriminated against because of the disease with comprehensive care – including legal and mental health services.
X: In Bălți, Moldova, just 60 km from the Ukraine border, Oxana connects refugees with health care. As a TB survivor & co-founder of Society of Moldova against Tuberculosis, Oxana ensures that others have access to TB treatment & mental health services. https://globalfund.exposure.co/women-at-the-forefront-providing-vital-care-to-communities-caught-in-crises#section-5500971
Dr. Khiếu Prepares a New Generation to Fight TB in Viet Nam
“After COVID-19 a lot of laboratory staff working in the tuberculosis hospital left their jobs – they were afraid of COVID-19 and TB. Now we have new staff that need training, experience and certification.”
COVID-19 struck just as Dr. Khiếu Thị Thúy Ngọc, Deputy Laboratory Manager at the National Lung Hospital in Hanoi, was beginning to see progress on Viet Nam’s fight against TB.
The pandemic overwhelmed the health system and its providers. A new crisis emerged: a critical shortage of trained, experienced health care workers.
Dr. Khiếu has dedicated her career to treating TB patients. Today, she travels the country training the next generation of doctors, technicians, laboratory staff and other health care workers so that they can take up the cause.
This includes training providers on how to use GeneXpert machines, rapid diagnostic tools that can help identify people with TB quickly and efficiently.
In April 2023 alone, Dr. Khiếu certified more than 115 new technicians in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
X: Dr. Khiếu Thị Thúy Ngọc has spent her entire career – over 20 years – fighting tuberculosis at Viet Nam’s National Lung Hospital. Now she trains other technicians and laboratory staff to use GeneXpert machines, which can rapidly diagnose the disease. https://globalfund.exposure.co/women-at-the-forefront-providing-vital-care-to-communities-caught-in-crises#section-5501229
Scaling up progress in the fight against TB is crucial to win the battle against this disease. We must bring focused testing, treatment and care services to the people who most need them.
Multimedia Content and Social Media Messages
Social Media Messages
X: Today is #WorldTBDay. Tuberculosis is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers. In 2022, TB killed 1.3 million people. This is unacceptable. We must accelerate the fight to #EndTB.
X: Tuberculosis is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers, killing over 3,000 people every day. This is unacceptable. We must break down the barriers and inequities that cause millions of people to suffer and die from TB every year.
X: We have the tools and knowledge to #EndTB – a preventable, treatable, and curable disease. But only if we recognize that colliding crises – climate change, war and deepening inequities within and between countries – are causing more people to suffer and die from TB. #WorldTBDay
X: Today is #WorldTBDay. We must make the fight against TB equitable, rights-based, and people-centered. Working together, we must accelerate efforts to provide equitable access to prevention, treatment and care to all people affected by TB, especially those most vulnerable.
X: When we fight TB, we prepare for the next pandemic. Strong and resilient health systems are critical to #EndTB and confront the next pandemic threat. Fully committing to fighting TB today means we’re building a safer, healthier and more equitable world for tomorrow. #WorldTBDay
X: We have the tools and knowledge to #EndTB. Now is the time to scale up our response and ensure everyone has access to the proven, lifesaving tools to fight TB. #WorldTBDay
X: The @GlobalFund provides 76% of all international financing to fight TB. Now is the time to accelerate the fight to #EndTB – a disease that millions of people continue to suffer and die from every year. #WorldTBDay
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Photo Credit: Vincent Becker, Quinn Ryan Mattingly, Brian Otieno, Andrew Esiebo