Ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on 24 March, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that cuts in global funding are significantly curtailing efforts to fight the disease.
While not directly mentioning the US, the agency referred to the “drastic and abrupt cuts in global health funding happening now”. An estimated 79 million lives have been saved in the past 25 years due to global health initiatives, though the funding cuts now are “threatening to reverse these gains,” WHO added.
Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, responsible for the deaths of more than one million people a year. It increases healthcare burdens by impacting other conditions such as heightening the risk of early death from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and contributing to antimicrobial resistance.
US President Donald Trump has overseen a swathe of foreign aid freezes this year, affecting countries supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Alongside HIV and malaria, tuberculosis programmes have been severely impacted. As well as USAID funding, Trump also signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the WHO, which will also impact the organisation’s efforts.
The majority of USAID’s money is spent on sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Europe. The US’s intention to leave WHO means the health agency is also grappling with losing its largest funder soon. The entity estimates that $22bn alone is needed annually for tuberculosis prevention and care.
The WHO stated that countries in its African member region are experiencing the greatest impact, followed by South-East Asia and Western Pacific countries. The agency reported a shortage in human resources, disruptions to diagnostic services, and fragility of data surveillance systems as consequences of the funding freeze. Community efforts such as case finding and contact tracing have also been affected.
To compound issues, the agency highlighted the rising drug resistance across Europe and ongoing conflicts in affected regions, which are further hampering efforts to fight the virus.
Nine unnamed countries have told the WHO they have failing procurement and supply chains for tuberculosis drugs. The agency currently recommends a six-month course of four antibiotics for tuberculosis and there is also the BCG vaccine – the only licensed jab to prevent tuberculosis infection.
There are ongoing efforts to accelerate further vaccine development through the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council, but the WHO said progress remains at risk without urgent financial commitments.
WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “The huge gains the world has made against tuberculosis over the past 20 years are now at risk as cuts to funding start to disrupt access to services for prevention, screening, and treatment for people with tuberculosis.
“WHO is committed to working with all donors, partners and affected countries to mitigate the impact of funding cuts and find innovative solutions.”
The effects of USAID cuts have rippled through many infectious diseases. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) said earlier this week that the US funding freeze is impacting the transportation of laboratory diagnostics for mpox testing. This week also saw a statement by WHO that said eight countries could run out of life-saving medication for HIV.
