The World Health Organization (WHO) reported over 8 million new TB diagnoses in the past year, the highest number recorded since tracking began.

Despite the alarming statistics, treatment success rates for multidrug-resistant TB reached 68%, although only 44% of the estimated 400,000 cases were diagnosed and treated.

Funding for TB prevention and treatment remains critically low, with only $5.7 billion allocated in 2023, far below the $22 billion target set by WHO.

In 2023, tuberculosis (TB) emerged as the leading infectious disease killer globally, claiming approximately 1.25 million lives, surpassing deaths from COVID-19 and nearly doubling those from HIV.

Challenges in combating TB include funding shortfalls, climate change, conflict, and the rise of drug-resistant TB, which require a united response across sectors.

Advocacy groups, including Doctors Without Borders, are pushing for reduced prices for TB tests to enhance accessibility, urging Cepheid to make tests available for $5.

WHO is actively scaling up its response to TB through leadership, research, policy development, and technical support to member states.

Half of TB patients face catastrophic costs due to the disease, underscoring the urgent need for improved access to affordable treatment.

Key risk factors for TB include undernutrition, HIV infection, alcohol use disorders, smoking, and diabetes, necessitating coordinated multisectoral action.

The burden of TB is particularly heavy in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Western Pacific, with India accounting for 26% of global cases.

Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is caused by bacteria resistant to first-line drugs and requires more expensive alternative treatments.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed outrage at the high death toll from TB, calling for countries to fulfill their commitments to combat the disease.