World Tuberculosis Day 2024

2024 is the year to shine a spotlight on ending TB and the suffering it causes to millions, and to call for comprehensive and universal care for those affected. The 2023 UN High Level Meeting on TB at the General Assembly in September that will bring together Heads of State, provides the opportunity to mobilize political and social commitment to ramp up progress against this ancient disease. It is our collective responsibility to confront inequalities and put an end to this preventable and curable disease.

So far, the focus on TB elimination has been on low-burden countries; however, it is necessary to redouble efforts for TB elimination in the Region of the Americas, mainly focusing on criteria to assess countries' efforts on the pathway to elimination, considering the region's significant heterogeneity where countries in pre-elimination and high-burden situations coexist. Therefore, adaptation of global strategies to the region's diverse needs and realities is necessary, but it also requires each country's adaptation efforts to its own reality.

to provide the right services, support and enabling safe environment in the right place, at the right time. TB is mainly concentrated in settings beset by poverty and other social and economic challenges and in the most vulnerable populations. Poverty, undernourishment, poor living and working conditions, among others, affect how people fall ill, develop TB and cope with the demands of treatment (including medical, financial, and social), and influence the health outcomes they face. Thus, progress in combating TB and its drivers cannot be achieved by the health system alone and requires firm political commitment at the highest level, strong multisectoral collaboration (beyond health), and an effective accountability system.

Increased investments to support the implementation of TB preventive treatment options recommended by PAHO/WHO, shortened treatment regimens, rapid molecular diagnostics, and tests for TB infection, among other innovations and digital tools, will lead to improvements in health outcomes and save millions of lives. It is important to emphasize that investments in research and innovation are vital to accelerate efforts to achieve TB elimination goals.

Deep inequalities persist between and within countries in the region. People with TB are among the most marginalized and vulnerable, facing barriers to accessing quality care and treatment. PAHO/WHO is calling for global action to address health inequalities for people with TB and other diseases.