Asian Development Bank: Taking Down TB: New Tools to End an Old Disease

12 January 2026

Asian Development Bank blog

Rapid innovations in diagnostic technology are reshaping how countries detect and manage TB. Large-scale screening, stronger primary care systems, and modern tools can reduce the scourge and support health system resilience.

TB is one of the greatest failures of modern global health. Despite being preventable and curable, it still kills an estimated 1.23 million people every year. That is more than HIV and malaria combined.

TB thrives where health systems are weakest and investment is lowest. Asia and the Pacific carry the heaviest burden.

The region is home to two-thirds of the global 10.7 million TB cases and 12 of the world’s 30 high-burden countries, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

The time has come for Asia and the Pacific to chart a new pathway to TB elimination, one built on technology and ambition. The tools to end TB are now increasingly accessible. The next step is not invention but implementation at scale, with urgency, sustained investment, and collective determination equal to the goal of ending TB once and for all.

Read the full blog here.

 

Source: Asian Development Bank