GENEVA, Nov 12 (Kuna) -- The World Health Organisation warned that global progress in fighting against Tuberculosis (TB) is at risk of being reversed due to funding challenges.
TB remains one of the world's deadliest infectious killers, claiming over 1.2 million lives and affecting an estimated 10.7 million people last year, according to the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, released on Wednesday.
Director-General of the Organization Tedros Ghebreyesus stressed during a press conference in Geneva that the reduction in funding for international aid in many low- and middle-income countries threatens to undermine the hard-won gains, calling on governments to increase domestic resource allocation alongside international financing.
In its Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, WHO revealed that global funding for TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment reached only 5.9 billion dollars in 2024, about a quarter of the annual target set for 2027. The organization warned that continued reductions in international funding could lead to two million additional deaths and ten million new cases by 2035. The report showed that (TB) incidence and mortality rates declined globally between 2023 and 2024 by two percent and one percent, respectively. It showed that Africa recorded a 28 per cent reduction in incidence and a 46 per cent drop in deaths from 2015 to 2024, while Europe achieved even greater declines of 39 percent and 49 percent, respectively. According to the report, just eight countries account for 67 per cent of the global TB burden, led by India with 25 per cent, followed by Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bangladesh.
For her part, the Director of WHO TB Department Tereza Kasaeva warned that the world stands at a "critical crossroads" in tackling the disease, emphasizing that "political commitment, sustained investment and global solidarity are essential to preserve achievements and accelerate efforts to end TB by 2030".
She called for increased domestic and international funding and stronger social protection. She intensified research to develop new vaccines and medicines to accelerate progress toward the complete elimination of Tuberculosis. (end) imk.ara