Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers. In 2021, TB killed 1.6 million people and was the leading killer of people living with HIV.
This is unacceptable.
We have the tools and knowledge to end TB – 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.
The global community must act now to finally beat this disease that millions of people continue to suffer and die from every year.
#WorldTBDay
Table of Contents
State of the Fight Against TB
Key Messages
Stories of the Fight
- Tools to Turbocharge the Fight Against Tuberculosis (English and Français)
- Mei’s Fight: Hard Work and Hope to End TB for Good in Indonesia (English and Français)
- Ukraine: Ensuring Life-Saving Tuberculosis Care Amidst Deadly War (English and Français)
Social Media Messages and Multimedia
Data Explorer
Resources:
Yes, we can end TB. 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 today.
State of the Fight: Tuberculosis
In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, the Global Fund partnership fought back to recover from the catastrophic impact that the pandemic had on TB in 2020 and to protect the hard-won gains made against the disease in the last two decades.
- The Global Fund provides 76% of all international financing to fight TB.
- The Global Fund has invested US$8.5 billion in programs to prevent and treat TB as of June 2022.
Key tuberculosis results in countries where the Global Fund invests:
- 5.3 million people were treated for TB in 2021.
- 110,000 people were on treatment for drug-resistant TB in 2021.
- 283,000 TB patients living with HIV were on antiretroviral therapy during TB treatment in 2021.
- 395,000 people exposed to TB received preventive therapy in 2021.
An all-in response today will not only turbocharge the fight against TB, but will also help build a safer, healthier and more equitable world for everyone tomorrow.
Key Messages
Tuberculosis remains one of the top infectious disease killers in the world. In 2021, TB killed 1.6 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.
The stakes could not be higher. Yes, we can end TB. 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 today.
There has been incredible global momentum in the fight against COVID-19. That same level of urgency must propel the response to TB today.
When we fight TB, we fight other deadly diseases at the same time. The same tools the Global Fund partnership built to fight TB were used to fight COVID-19. COVID-19 also spurred prevention, diagnostic, treatment and community outreach innovations that ensure more people with TB are being found, treated and cured of this devastating disease.
When we fight TB, we prepare for the next pandemic. Strong and resilient health systems are well-equipped to end TB and confront the next pandemic threat. An all-in response to TB today actively contributes to building a safer, healthier and more equitable world tomorrow.
The global health community must accelerate efforts to provide equitable access to prevention, treatment and care to all people affected by TB, especially those most vulnerable. Additionally, we must take a sharper focus on fighting social inequalities that continue to predispose people to the disease.
When we fight TB, we fight other deadly diseases at the same time. The same tools the Global Fund partnership built to fight TB were used to fight COVID-19. When we fight TB, we prepare for the next pandemic.
Tools to Turbocharge the Fight Against Tuberculosis
We have the tools and knowledge to end TB. Now is the time to scale up our response and ensure everyone has access to the proven, lifesaving tools to fight TB.
An all-in response today will not only turbocharge the fight against TB, but will also help build a safer, healthier and more equitable world for everyone tomorrow.
Tweet: 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 https://globalfund.exposure.co/tools-to-turbocharge-the-fight-against-tuberculosis
Tweet: In places where people face a greater risk of #TB – refugee camps, conflict zones, & settlement camps – having a skilled radiologist is difficult. But artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way x-rays can be read to detect TB. #WorldTBDay https://globalfund.exposure.co/tools-to-turbocharge-the-fight-against-tuberculosis
Tweet: Treatment for drug-resistant TB can involve long hospital stays and missing work. But digital adherence technologies (DATs) – like smart pill boxes and video-supported treatment – can help people more-easily stay connected to treatment. #WorldTBDay https://globalfund.exposure.co/tools-to-turbocharge-the-fight-against-tuberculosis
Mei’s Fight: Hard Work and Hope to End TB for Good
When Meirinda (Mei) Sebayang was diagnosed with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in 2006, she spent five months in near-complete isolation enduring brutal MDR-TB treatment.
Today, Mei is fighting to end TB in Indonesia. As an HIV and TB advocate, Mei offers support to people fighting TB in her community and advocates for policy change to end the stigma, gender inequality and discrimination that prevent people from accessing prevention and treatment services for TB.
Tweet: “I don’t imagine TB ending tomorrow. But I dream of an end to it, and a world where everyone, including the most marginalized, can live free from the terror of TB.” Meet @puanmei, a TB advocate fighting to #EndTB in #Indonesia @JIP_indonesia @GFANAP https://globalfund.exposure.co/meis-fight-hard-work-and-hope-to-end-tb-for-good
Ukraine: Ensuring Life-Saving Tuberculosis Care Amidst Deadly War
Zhanna Karpenko is the medical director of a hospital in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine that provides tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment. Prior to the war, the facility had a TB dispensary that supported people with TB within the hospital and throughout the community. The health facility also had one of Ukraine’s most sophisticated medical laboratories.
Following multiple attacks, the entire facility was destroyed including all medications stored at the TB dispensary, resulting in every TB patient that depended on the dispensary being cut off from their treatment.
Tweet: Since the war began in Ukraine, +1,200 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, & many people with TB have been forced to interrupt or abandon their treatment. @GlobalFund is working with partners to provide emergency funds to support health systems. #WorldTBDay https://globalfund.exposure.co/ukraine-ensuring-lifesaving-tuberculosis-care-amidst-deadly-conflictnbsp
Tweet: The ongoing war in #Ukraine has had devastating consequences on the country’s health care system. Health workers are taking on deadly risks to deliver tuberculosis (TB) care in Chernihiv, Ukraine. #WorldTBDay https://globalfund.exposure.co/ukraine-ensuring-lifesaving-tuberculosis-care-amidst-deadly-conflictnbsp
The global health community must accelerate efforts to provide equitable access to prevention, treatment and care to all people affected by TB, especially those most vulnerable.
Multimedia Content and Social Media Messages
Social Media Messages
Tweet: Today is #WorldTBDay. Tuberculosis is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers. In 2021, TB killed 1.6 million people and was the leading killer of people living with HIV. This is unacceptable. We must accelerate the fight to #EndTB.
Tweet: 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
Tweet: 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.
Tweet: 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
Tweet: 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
Data Explorer
Explore data on investments and results in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria around the world.
The Global Fund invests in smart, effective health programs to end AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics. The Data Explorer visualizes where our investments come from, where they are and what they achieve by providing pledge and contribution data, grant financial data, and results data at global, regional and country levels.