At the UN General Assembly's High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, world leaders approved a declaration with five-year targets: 90% coverage for TB prevention and care, WHO-recommended rapid TB diagnosis, social benefits for all TB patients, a new TB vaccine, and closing funding gaps by 2027.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO said,

“For millennia, our ancestors have suffered and died with tuberculosis, without knowing what it was, what caused it, or how to stop it. Today, we have knowledge and tools they could only have dreamed of. The political declaration countries approved today, and the targets they have set, are a commitment to use those tools, and develop new ones, to write the final chapter in the story of TB.”

Despite saving 75 million lives since 2000, global TB efforts fell short of 2018 targets due to COVID-19 disruptions and conflicts, according to WHO. From 2018 to 2022, only 34 million of the intended 40 million TB patients received treatment, and only 15.5 million of the 30 million received preventive treatment.

The funding gap in low- and middle-income countries has widened from $6.4 billion in 2018 to $5.8 billion in 2022, with annual TB research funding falling half the 2018 target.

TB remains a top infectious killer, afflicting over 10 million annually, with 1 million deaths and drug-resistant TB adding to antimicrobial resistance.

Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director, WHO Global TB Programme said,

“Uniting around the TB response by world leaders, for a second time, provides an opportunity to accelerate action and strengthen health systems capable of not only addressing the TB epidemic, but also protecting the broader health and well being of communities, strengthening pandemic preparedness and building on lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Averting TB-related financial hardship and preventing the development of the disease in vulnerable groups will help diminish inequities within and between countries, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

TB incidence and deaths increased from 2020 to 2021, but collective efforts by countries, WHO, and partners are restoring vital services. The WHO's Director-General launched the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council, facilitating new vaccine development, licensing, and usage. The Council will be led by a ministerial board for two years.

BCG is the sole licensed TB vaccine, offering moderate infant protection but not for adolescents and adults, who drive most TB transmission.

The Council's objectives include identifying sustainable financing, market solutions, and public, private, and philanthropic partnerships. It seeks to increase commitment and action for novel TB vaccine development and access by leveraging platforms such as the African Union, ASEAN, BRICS, G20, and G7.