World TB Day: WHO says funding cuts threaten global TB progress

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that abrupt cuts in global health funding are threatening progress in the fight against Tuberculosis (TB), the world’s deadliest infectious disease.

The global health agency, in a message to commemorate the 2025 World TB Day, noted that TB is responsible for over one million deaths annually, bringing devastating impacts on families and communities.

WHO said global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 79 million lives since 2000.

It, however, noted that the drastic and abrupt cuts in global health funding are now threatening to reverse these gains.

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

World TB Day

World TB Day is commemorated on 24 March annually to raise awareness of TB and to mobilise efforts, including political commitment to resources and healthcare financing towards TB elimination.

This year’s theme is “Yes! We can end TB: Commit, invest, and deliver.”
TB, an airborne disease caused by a bacterium (mycobacterium tuberculosis), mostly affects the lungs. It is the second deadliest infectious killer disease (after COVID-19) and among the top 10 causes of death worldwide.

Globally, and according to the 2024 WHO global TB report, an estimated 10.8 million people developed TB in 2023, with 1.6 million people losing their lives and 12 per cent of the global burden affecting the most vulnerable – the children and young adolescents.

TB remains a leading cause of death in Nigeria, with the country ranking sixth globally and first in Africa.

Despite progress made in the fight against TB, the global burden of TB remains alarming, particularly in low and middle-income countries like Nigeria.

Impacts of funding cuts

The WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said 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.

Mr Ghebreyesus said the WHO is committed to working with all donors, partners and affected countries to mitigate the impact of funding cuts and find innovative solutions.

“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,” he said.

In January, shortly after his inauguration, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the country from WHO, citing political influence within the agency.

Mr Trump also paused all foreign aid assistance, which has affected most health programmes in developing countries, including Nigeria.

Mr Ghebreyesus noted that early reports revealed severe TB response disruptions are seen across several of the highest-burden countries following the funding cuts.

It said countries in the WHO African Region are experiencing the greatest impact, followed by countries in the WHO South-East Asian and Western Pacific Regions.

“27 countries are facing crippling breakdowns in their TB response, with devastating consequences, such as human resource shortages undermining service delivery; diagnostic services severely disrupted, delaying detection and treatment; data and surveillance systems collapsing, compromising disease tracking and management,” he said.

“Others affected are community engagement efforts, including active case finding, screening, and contact tracing, deteriorating, leading to delayed diagnoses and increased transmission risks.”

He said nine countries report failing TB drug procurement and supply chains, jeopardising treatment continuity and patient outcomes.

More Investment

The global health body called for an urgent investment of resources to protect and maintain TB care and support services for people in need across regions and countries.

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WHO said the theme for the year highlights a rallying cry for urgency, accountability, and hope.

“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,” the Director of WHO’s Global Programme on TB and Lung Health, Tereza Kasaeva, said.

Ms Kasaeva said investing in ending TB is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity, as every dollar spent on prevention and treatment yields an estimated $43 in economic returns.

Also, in response to the urgent challenges threatening TB services worldwide, WHO’s Director-General and

Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis demands immediate, coordinated efforts from governments, global health leaders, donors, and policymakers to prevent further disruptions.