WHO Sounds Alarm Over Funding Gaps Threatening Global Fight Against Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is once again in the global spotlight as the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that years of progress in fighting the deadly disease could be undone by severe funding shortfalls and unequal access to care. In its Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, released today, the WHO reveals that TB continues to kill over 1.2 million people and infect an estimated 10.7 million others each year, despite being both preventable and curable. The report further warns that despite measurable advancements in diagnosis, treatment, and innovation, persistent financial gaps and inequitable access to health services gravely threaten to reverse hard-won global gains.

Despite significant efforts and measurable progress, the fight against Tuberculosis remains critical. “Declines in the global burden of TB, and progress in testing, treatment, social protection, and research are all welcome news after years of setbacks, but progress is not victory,” stated Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. He underscored the urgency, adding, “The fact that TB continues to claim over a million lives each year, despite being preventable and curable, is simply unconscionable.”

The report highlights encouraging trends, with global TB cases falling by nearly 2 percent and deaths declining by 3 percent between 2023 and 2024, signaling a steady recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. The WHO African Region notably achieved a 28 percent decline in TB incidence and a 46 percent reduction in deaths between 2015 and 2024, while the European Region recorded even greater progress. WHO attributes advances in diagnosis and treatment, such as 8.3 million new people accessing care and improved success rates for drug-resistant TB, to sustained innovation and global collaboration.

Despite these significant gains, 87 percent of new TB cases in 2024 were concentrated in just 30 countries. India, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bangladesh together accounted for more than two-thirds of the global burden. Despite the medical advancements, the report warns of a worsening financial crisis, with only US$5.9 billion available in 2024 for TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This amount is barely a quarter of the US$22 billion needed annually by 2027, severely hampering global efforts.

Research funding for Tuberculosis remains similarly limited, with just US$1.2 billion recorded in 2023, far short of what is required for critical breakthroughs. The WHO cautions that continued cuts to donor funding could lead to two million additional deaths and 10 million new infections between 2025 and 2035 if urgent action is not taken to address the financial deficit. This stark warning underscores the catastrophic potential if investment in TB programs does not significantly increase.

“We are at a defining moment in the fight against TB,” stated Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis, and STIs. She emphasized, “Funding cuts and persistent drivers of the epidemic threaten to undo hard-won gains, but with political commitment, sustained investment, and global solidarity, we can turn the tide and end this ancient killer once and for all.” The 2025 report explicitly calls on governments, multilateral donors, and the private sector to scale up financing for TB services, strengthen health systems, and prioritize access to care for high-burden countries.

The WHO emphasizes that ending Tuberculosis by 2030, a key pledge under the Sustainable Development Goals, remains achievable only if the world urgently closes the growing funding gap before it becomes catastrophic. This critical financial investment is paramount to strengthening health systems and ensuring equitable access to care globally. Without immediate and sustained action, the vision of a world free from TB by 2030 will be jeopardized.