This year, on Monday, March 24, the world will commemorate World Tuberculosis Day. “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver” is the theme for 2025, and it calls for hope, responsibility, and determination. Today marks the 43rd World Tuberculosis Day, which honors the day in 1882 that Dr. Robert Koch declared the identification of the TB-causing bacteria. This illness is still a serious public health concern in spite of its lengthy history. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M tuberculosis) is the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), a disease that mainly affects the lungs but can also spread to other organ systems.
Active infections can arise when the immune system is unable to prevent the bacteria from multiplying and producing disease symptoms, but inactive infections, in which the germs remain in the body without producing any symptoms, are the most common outcome of M tuberculosis. Children under five are particularly vulnerable to TB because they are more likely to get active TB infections, which can be fatal. TB is a fatal illness that still exists in communities all over the world, despite being preventable and curable.
Nearly four million new cases of tuberculosis were detected in 16 major markets (16MM: US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea) in 2024, according to GlobalData epidemiologists. This figure is expected to rise to about 4.5 million new cases year by 2033. While TB infections are expected to rise in almost every country covered by GlobalData’s extended markets, certain countries—particularly those with universal health coverage—are expected to see a decline in TB cases. Controlling this disease has been made easier in recent years by advancements in the prompt treatment of infectious TB cases and the avoidance of TB infection. However, recent developments pose a threat to the advancements gained in halting the spread of tuberculosis.
Nearly half of all international donor financing for TB prevention and treatment initiatives in several low-income countries was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which the US government said would no longer receive funding on January 20, 2025. In addition to providing direct money for patients’ prescription antibiotics, this also covers case discovery in the community, transportation of samples to labs, and research funding for the development of novel diagnostics and treatments. TB will probably spread more quickly and kill more people who could have been cured with the right therapy if this funding is not provided.
Furthermore, since partial antibiotic treatment regimens have now been stopped, multidrug-resistant TB strains will have a chance to surface, making TB therapy more difficult and costly when it does restart. However, it would be challenging to comprehend the full impact of this financing adjustment without the surveillance carried out and coordinated by USAID and partners.
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