On World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, marked on March 24, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an urgent call for investment and action to combat one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. TB continues to claim over 1 million lives annually, devastating families and communities worldwide. Despite significant progress in reducing TB-related deaths over the past two decades, recent global funding cuts threaten to reverse these hard-won gains.

Global efforts have saved an estimated 79 million lives since 2000, but the rising threat of drug resistance and disruptions in healthcare services—especially in regions facing conflict and economic instability—pose significant challenges. WHO’s 2025 campaign, “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver,” underscores the urgent need for sustained commitments and increased funding to protect and maintain TB care services. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized, “The huge gains the world has made against TB over the past 20 years are now at risk. We cannot give up on the commitments made by world leaders at the UN General Assembly just 18 months ago. WHO remains committed to working with all stakeholders to mitigate these funding cuts and find innovative solutions.”

A Coordinated Global Response

National strategies and significant financial investment are necessary to drive impact at global, regional, and national levels. The 2023 Political Declaration on TB underscored WHO’s pivotal role in leading progress, explicitly tasking the organization with supporting Member States to achieve these goals. Over the next three years, WHO’s leadership will be crucial in guiding countries, providing essential normative guidance, and delivering targeted technical support to turn commitments into measurable outcomes.

In 2024, multiple global meetings were held to accelerate progress against TB. The Stop TB Partnership Regional Dialogue in Manila focused on advocacy, resource mobilization, and targeted action. In September, the WHO Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement reviewed post-COVID-19 methods for estimating TB incidence and mortality. The Global Laboratory Initiative Partners Meeting discussed advancements in diagnostics, while the Interregional Online Meeting on Multisectoral Accountability Framework for Tuberculosis (MAF-TB) Implementation shared successful case studies from Brazil and Bangladesh. These initiatives reinforced the need for cross-border collaboration to combat TB effectively.

Sri Lanka’s TB Challenge

At the national level, tuberculosis remains Sri Lanka’s second-leading infectious disease after dengue. According to WHO estimates, in 2023, the country reported an estimated TB incidence rate of 62 per 100,000 people, yet TB treatment coverage stood at only 65%, meaning that 35% of cases remained undiagnosed or unreported. The TB fatality ratio was 6%, highlighting the continued public health threat.

By 2024, Sri Lanka had reported 9,180 total TB cases, including 8,529 new cases, with the highest case load concentrated in the Western Province. The National Program for Tuberculosis Control and Chest Diseases (NPTCCD) leads prevention and control efforts, operating through 26 District Chest Clinics, 2 sub-chest clinics, 108 branch clinics, and 189 microscopic centers. Advanced diagnostic facilities, including culture testing, are available at the National TB Reference Laboratory and intermediate TB laboratories in Rathnapura, Kandy, Jaffna, and Galle.

Sri Lanka has committed to reducing TB incidence to 13 per 100,000 by 2035 as part of WHO’s End TB Strategy. WHO continues to provide vital support, assisting in developing national action plans, strengthening the Multistakeholder Accountability Framework, and enhancing Programmatic Management of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (PMDT). Recent efforts have included capacity-building programs for health staff, district-level sensitization to new PMDT guidelines, and improving tuberculosis case detection in government hospitals.

A Looming Global Funding Crisis

While Sri Lanka and other high-burden countries make strides in TB control, the broader fight against TB faces a severe funding shortfall. WHO reports that in 2023, only 26% of the US$ 22 billion needed annually for TB prevention and care was available. Likewise, TB research funding received just one-fifth of the US$ 5 billion required to advance new diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines.

Funding cuts have already caused severe disruptions in 27 high-burden countries, particularly in Africa, South-East Asia, and the Western Pacific. The consequences are dire:

• Human resource shortages undermine service delivery.

• Diagnostic services are delayed, leading to late detection and increased transmission.

• Data and surveillance systems collapse, impairing disease tracking and management.

• Community engagement programs deteriorate, reducing screening, contact tracing, and case detection.

• Nine countries report failing TB drug supply chains, jeopardizing treatment continuity.

In response, WHO and its Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis released a joint statement calling for immediate, coordinated action from governments, donors, and policymakers. The statement outlines five urgent priorities:

1. Addressing service disruptions with emergency responses.

2. Securing sustainable domestic funding for uninterrupted TB care.

3. Safeguarding access to essential TB drugs, diagnostics, and treatments.

4. Strengthening national collaboration platforms among civil society, NGOs, and policymakers.

5. Enhancing real-time monitoring systems to detect and mitigate disruptions.

The Path Forward

To sustain progress, WHO is integrating TB and lung health within primary healthcare as a long-term solution. The organization’s new technical guidance promotes preventive care, early TB detection, optimized first-contact management, and improved patient follow-up. Addressing social determinants—such as overcrowding, tobacco use, undernutrition, and environmental pollution—will be essential for long-term TB control.

On World TB Day 2025, WHO calls on governments, donors, communities, and individuals to take action. Without urgent intervention, the TB response could be decimated, reversing decades of progress and putting millions of lives at risk. As Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Programme on TB and Lung Health, emphasized: “Investing in TB elimination is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity—every dollar spent on prevention and treatment yields an estimated US$ 43 in economic returns.”

The fight against TB demands a unified global response. Yes, we can end TB—but only if we commit, invest, and deliver.