Tuberculosis (TB) is the deadliest infectious disease in the world.
It spreads from one person to another by air and usually affects the lungs (but exists in extrapulmonary forms as well.)
Each year, around 10 million people acquire new TB infections, and over one million die of TB.
Over 30 countries are currently designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as high TB burden countries. Two thirds of the global burden of TB is borne by just eight countries: Bangladesh, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
Most strains of TB are classified as “drug-sensitive,” which means they respond to two of the most powerful drugs we have – rifampicin and isoniazid. “Drug-resistant” TB is more difficult to treat and can require a longer treatment durations with additional drugs.
Diagnosis is currently the weakest link in the so-called TB cascade of care, with around 30% of people living with TB estimated to be unaware of their status and who are subsequently left untreated.
Until recently, the only available regimens to prevent or treat TB were long, toxic and difficult to tolerate. Now, scientific advancements have produced shorter, safer regimens that prevent TB in as little as one or three months, treat drug-sensitive TB in as little as four months, and drug-resistant TB in as little as six months. (The TB CAB and other TB community-based organizations worldwide are calling for the universal implementation of these new regimens by the end of 2024 through the 1/4/6×24 Campaign.)
Beyond the challenges of TB treatment itself, most people living with TB also experience stigma and psychosocial and economic strains. This often includes income loss, deteriorating mental health, isolation, and more, necessitating interventions beyond those that are purely biomedical in nature.
