Purpose: Each year, we commemorate World Tuberculosis Day on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been working with countries to strengthen drug resistance surveillance since the early 1990s. Data collated represents 99% of the world's population and people with TB. Through research and innovation, WHO works to accelerate development of rapid diagnostics and treatments for drug-resistant TB. Diagnosing multi-drug-resistant and other resistant forms of TB as well as HIV-associated TB can be complex and expensive. The day will inspire hope and encourage high-level leadership, increased investments, faster uptake of new WHO recommendations, adoption of innovations, accelerated action, and multi-sector collaboration to combat the TB epidemic.

FORUM: "Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver." World Tuberculosis Day 2025. This year’s theme is a bold call for hope, urgency, and accountability.TB continues to devastate millions globally, inflicting severe health, social, and economic consequences. Let’s
Commit: World leaders at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting pledged to accelerate efforts to end TB. Now, we need real action: rapid implementation of WHO guidance and policies, strengthened national strategies, and full funding.
Invest: TB cannot be defeated without proper financing. We need a bold, diversified approach to fund innovation, to close gaps in access to TB prevention, treatment and care, as well as to advance research and innovation.
Deliver: Turning commitments into action means scaling up proven WHO-recommended interventions: early detection, diagnosis, preventive treatment, and high-quality TB care, particularly for drug-resistant TB. Success depends on community leadership, civil society action, and cross-sector collaboration. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #WorldTBDay, #24Marh, #YesWecanEndTB, #Tuberculosis.

EVENTS: The World Health Organization (WHO) will commemorate the World Tuberculosis Day 2025 on Sunday March 24rd to urge countries to ramp up progress; Under the theme ''Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver'' the World Tuberculosis Day 2025 campaign highlights a rallying cry for urgency, and accountability and hope. This year is critical, with opportunities to raise visibility and political commitment to end TB. On the occasion on World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, March 24th, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for an urgent investment of resources to protect and maintain tuberculosis (TB) care and support services for people in need across regions and countries. TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, responsible for over 1 million deaths annually bringing devastating impacts on families and communities. The Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 79 million lives since 2000. However, the drastic and abrupt cuts in global health funding happening now are threatening to reverse these gains. Rising drug resistance especially across Europe and the ongoing conflicts across the Middle-East, Africa and Eastern Europe, are further exacerbating the situation for the most vulnerable.

Funding: threat to global TB efforts: Early reports to WHO reveal that severe disruptions in the TB response are seen across several of the highest-burden countries following the funding cuts. Countries in the WHO African Region are experiencing the greatest impact, followed by countries in the WHO South-East Asian and Western Pacific Regions. Twenty seven countries are facing crippling breakdowns in their TB response, with devastating consequences, such as:

• Human resource shortages undermining service delivery;

• Diagnostic services severely disrupted, delaying detection and treatment;

• Data and surveillance systems collapsing, compromising disease tracking and management;

• Community engagement efforts, including active case finding, screening, and contact tracing, deteriorating, leading to delayed diagnoses and increased transmission risks.

Nine countries report failing TB drug procurement and supply chains, jeopardizing treatment continuity and patient outcomes. The 2025 funding cuts further exacerbate an already existing underfunding for global TB response. In 2023, only 26% of the US$ 22 billion annually needed for TB prevention and care was available, leaving a massive shortfall. TB research is in crisis, receiving just one-fifth of the US$ 5 billion annual target in 2022 – severely delaying advancements in diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. WHO is leading efforts to accelerate TB vaccine development through the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council, but progress remains at risk without urgent financial commitments.

New guidance on TB and lung health: As one of the solutions to combating growing resource constraints, WHO is driving the integration of TB and lung health within primary healthcare as a sustainable solution. New technical guidance released by WHO outlines critical actions across the care continuum, focusing on prevention, early detection of TB and comorbidities, optimized management at first contact and improved patient follow-up. The guidance also promotes better use of existing health systems, addressing shared risk factors such as overcrowding, tobacco, undernutrition and environmental pollutants. By tackling TB determinants alongside communicable and non-communicable diseases, lung conditions, and disabilities through a unified strategy, WHO aims to reinforce the global response and drive lasting improvements in health outcomes. On World TB Day, WHO calls on everyone: individuals, communities, societies, donors and governments, to do their part to end TB. Without concerted action from all stakeholders, the TB response will be decimated, reversing decades of progress, putting millions of lives at risk and threatening health security. TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, responsible for over 1 million deaths annually bringing devastating impacts on families and communities.

ACTIVITIES: From 24 February to 31 March 2025. Join the Global #EndTBRun Challenge.

ONLINE TALK SHOW: From 13:30 to 16:00 CET; Online Talk Show: Act now. Invest now. Deliver now. Together, yes we can end TB. Register to Participate!

RESEARCH: A New Tuberculosis Strategy Shows Promise from Science | AAAS. Now a group in the Republic of Korea reports what they believe could be a potent new method of fighting TB: a combination of cheap drugs and a DNA vaccine. Learn more.

The CDC honors individuals and organizations recognized as 2025 CDC U.S. TB Elimination Champions. Learn more about the 2025 U.S. TB Elimination Champions.

STATEMENTS: Joint statement with civil society.

In response to the urgent challenges threatening TB services worldwide, the WHO’s Director-General and Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis have issued a decisive statement. The joint statement released this week, demands immediate, coordinated efforts from governments, global health leaders, donors, and policymakers to prevent further disruptions. The statement outlines five critical priorities:

• Addressing TB service disruptions urgently, ensuring responses match the crisis's scale;

• Securing sustainable domestic funding, guaranteeing uninterrupted and equitable access to TB prevention and care;

• Safeguarding essential TB services, including access to life-saving drugs, diagnostics, treatment and social protections, alongside cross-sector collaboration;

• Establishing or revitalizing national collaboration platforms, fostering alliances among civil society, NGOs, donors, and professional societies to tackle challenges;

• Enhancing monitoring and early warning systems to assess real-time impact and detect disruptions early.

“The huge gains the world has made against TB 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 TB,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “But we cannot give up on the concrete commitments that world leaders made at the UN General Assembly just 18 months ago to accelerate work to end TB. WHO is committed to working with all donors, partners and affected countries to mitigate the impact of funding cuts and find innovative solutions.” Statement by Dr. Tedros; Director of the World Health Organization on behalf the World TB Day 2025; March 24th.

“This urgent call is timely and underscores the necessity of swift, decisive action to sustain global TB progress and prevent setbacks that could cost lives,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Programme on TB and Lung Health. “Investing in ending TB 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.” Statement by Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director, WHO Global TB Programme on the world TB Day 2025; March 24th.

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More investment will save millions more lives, accelerating the end of the TB epidemic. Preventing Tuberculosis. TB is a treatable and curable disease. Active, drug-susceptible TB disease is treated with a standard 6-month course of 4 antimicrobial drugs that are provided with information and support to the patient by a health worker or trained volunteer. Without such support, treatment adherence is more difficult.