Released modelling study for Brazil, Georgia, Kenya and South Africa ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on March 24
Photo for representation: iStock
Ahead of World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged a significant increase in funding for TB screening and prevention programmes. This call to action follows a new study revealing a substantial return on investment — for every dollar invested, there’s a potential benefit of $39.
The report outlined the results of a modelling study that investigated the expenses and advantages of TB screening combined with TB preventive treatment in four nations: Brazil, Georgia, Kenya, and South Africa. These findings could offer insights for other regions facing similar epidemiological conditions.
Read more: India still has the biggest TB burden
The findings were announced on March 11, 2024, by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“The investment case outlines the health and economic rationale for investing in evidence-based, WHO-recommended interventions on TB screening and prevention that can contribute to advancing universal health coverage,” said Ghebreyesus. “Today, we have the knowledge, tools and political commitment that can end this millennia-old disease that remains one of the world’s top infectious killers.”
TB remains a significant public health threat. It’s the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, surpassing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In 2022, an estimated 10.6 million people fell sick with TB and 1.3 million died from the disease, according to WHO.
Furthermore, multidrug-resistant TB poses an increasing public health challenge, with only approximately two in five individuals having received treatment as of 2022.
The advancement of new TB diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines continues to be limited by the overall investment in these domains, WHO said. There is a clear need for increased efforts to tackle TB effectively, the global health agency highlighted.
Given this context, the investment case is anticipated to function as a crucial advocacy instrument for obtaining greater resources for TB screening and preventive treatment. This aligns with the commitments made by governments during the 2023 high-level meeting on TB.
The global community is preparing for World TB Day on March 24 under the theme Yes! We can end TB!.
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