World Tuberculosis Day 2025: ‘Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver’

World TB Day

World TB Day observed annually on March 24, amplifies the urgency of ending tuberculosis—the world’s deadliest infectious disease. TB continues to devastate millions globally, inflicting severe health, social, and economic consequences. Each day, over 3400 people lose their lives to TB and close to 30,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance. WorldTB Day is an opportunity to focus on the people affected by this disease and to call for accelerated action to end TB suffering and deaths.

World TB Day 2025: ‘Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver’

The theme of World TB Day 2025 – ‘Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver’ is a bold call for hope, urgency, and accountability. Aligned with this year’s theme, WHO is urging immediate and decisive action across multiple fronts:

• 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.

“At the second UN High-Level Meeting on TB, Heads of State reaffirmed WHO’s pivotal leadership role, explicitly mandating the organization to guide Member States toward achieving ambitious global targets,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Programme on Tuberculosis and Lung Health. “WHO stands committed to drive progress including delivering essential normative guidance, and supporting countries to transform commitment and challenges into opportunities and concrete, measurable outcomes that can save lives. On this World TB Day, we must leverage our collective momentum and intensify action towards ending this ancient disease.”

Key facts about TB

Did you know that tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s deadliest infectious disease❓

• 💔 In 2023, TB was responsible for 1.25 million deaths worldwide.
• 🦠 Caused by bacteria that mainly affects the lungs
• 🗣 Spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze or spit
• 🤒 Symptoms include cough, fever, and weight loss
• 💉 It is preventable and curable
• 💊 It is treated with antibiotics
• 🌎 Exists in all countries and age groups, but low- and middle-income regions are most affected
• ⚠️ About a quarter of the global population is estimated to have been infected with TB bacteria, but most people will not develop the disease.
• ✅ Global efforts have saved 79 million lives since 2000! But we must do more to end TB by 2030.

 Could it be tuberculosis (TB)? The symptoms often develop slowly and may go unnoticed for months.

Watch for these warning signs:

•  Prolonged cough 
•  Coughing up blood or chest pain
•  Weight loss 
•  Night sweats and fever
•  Fatigue and weakness
•  Children, people with HIV, and those with malnutrition are at higher risk.
•  TB mainly affects the lungs, however it can also affect the kidneys, spine, and brain.
• About 5–10% of people infected with TB will eventually get symptoms and develop TB disease.
•  Seek medical attention if you have symptoms and help #EndTB for good!

How to protect yourself and others:

•  Tuberculosis (TB) is preventable. With the right actions, we can stop TB transmission and save lives.
•  TB is caused by bacteria, and spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze or spit.

•  Seek medical attention if you have symptoms like prolonged cough, fever and unexplained weight loss
•  Get tested if you’re at risk, especially if you have HIV or have been exposed to TB
•  Complete your TB treatment! Stopping early can lead to drug-resistant TB
•  If diagnosed with TB, avoid contact with other people, cover your mouth when coughing and wear a mask
•  Vaccinate children in high-risk areas
•  Early detection is critical to stopping the spread and ensuring effective treatment.

Key messages

Commitments secured, action required:Accelerating pace to end TB

Heads of State at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on TB made bold, ambitious commitments to accelerate the global fight against tuberculosis, setting concrete, measurable targets for 2027. While these pledges represent a significant milestone, sustained and intensified action is critical. Scaling up interventions requires strong policies, comprehensive national strategies, and substantial financial investment to drive impact at global, regional, and national levels.

The political declaration reinforced WHO’s central role in spearheading progress, explicitly mandating the organization to support Member States in achieving these targets. Over the next three years, WHO’s leadership will be indispensable in steering countries forward, delivering crucial normative guidance, and providing targeted technical support to translate commitments into decisive, measurable action.

Investing for Impact: Building a resilient and sustainable TB response 

Sustained investment in resources, support, care, and information is essential to achieving universal access to TB care and advancing research. This is particularly crucial in closing care gaps and ensuring equitable access to prevention and treatment, aligning with WHO’s commitment to Universal Health Coverage. Increased funding is urgently needed to accelerate the rollout of WHO-recommended TB preventive treatments, shorter TB treatment regimens, rapid molecular diagnostics, and other critical innovations, including digital tools. These investments will drive significant improvements in health outcomes and save millions of lives. Equally vital is sustained investment in research and innovation to fast-track progress toward ending TB.

Funding WHO remains vital to achieving global TB targets. Any withdrawal or reduction in financial support poses a severe risk to the fight against the world’s deadliest infectious disease, threatening hard-won gains and delaying life-saving breakthroughs.

Delivering on commitments: Fast-tracking action for maximum impact

Turning commitments into real, measurable impact for people affected by TB demands more than investment—it requires bold, decisive action. This means rapidly scaling up WHO-recommended interventions, including early detection, diagnosis, preventive treatment, and high-quality TB care—especially for drug-resistant TB.Achieving this at scale requires a whole-of-society approach that not only strengthens healthcare systems but also creates safe, supportive environments where prevention and treatment can be delivered effectively. A unified, multi sectoral response is essential to dismantling the key drivers of the TB epidemic—poverty, inequity, undernutrition, co-morbidities, stigma, and discrimination—barriers that extend far beyond the health sector. Sustainable progress hinges on strong accountability, driven by community leadership, powered by civil society, and reinforced through cross-sector collaboration. WHO is leading the charge to dismantle key inequities, pushing for systemic change and inclusive policies that guarantee every individual, no matter their circumstances, has the opportunity to receive the care, support, and protection they deserve.

Calls for action

General public

• Educate yourself on TB causes, symptoms and prevention.
• Don’t believe in myths or misinformation.
• Stand up against TB stigma and discrimination.

Health workers

• Incorporate essential TB services into routine health interventions.
• Deliver care that is kind, respectful of human rights and without stigma.

Ministries of Health, TB programme managers and other public health leaders

• Allocate resources, especially funding, to improve the quality of TB diagnosis, prevention, treatment and care services and make them more resilient and sustainable.
• Support and empower health workers to deliver high-quality TB services in line with WHO recommendations.
• Ensure adequate training and up-to date information sharing for health workers on the latest WHO recommendations on TB services.

Community leaders

• Ensure essential TB services are maintained and affordable in the community.
• Support and empower health workers to provide essential TB services in line with WHO recommendations.
• Combat stigma and discrimination to ensure that everyone feels safe to access TB services.

Youths

• Support TB patients in the community with resources and advice.

More resources: WHO TB Day

Related readings

• Global Tuberculosis Report 2024
• Global tuberculosis report 2023
• Global Tuberculosis Report 2022
• Global Tuberculosis Report 2021
• Global Tuberculosis Report 2020
• National Strategic Plan to End Tuberculosis in Nepal
• Global Tuberculosis Report 2019: Latest status of the tuberculosis epidemic
• Global Tuberculosis Report 2018
• WHO Global Tuberculosis report 2015
• Global tuberculosis report 2014: Improved data reveals higher global burden of tuberculosis

Recommended readings

• National Tuberculosis Programme Annual Report 2018
• National Tuberculosis Program Update in Nepal #WorldTBDay #EndTB
• National TB Prevalence Survey, 2018-19 Key findings
• World Tuberculosis Day 2020! It’s time to End TB!
• National Guideline on Drug Resistant TB Management 2019, Nepal
• National Tuberculosis Management Guideline 2019, Nepal
• Global Tuberculosis Report 2019: Latest status of the tuberculosis epidemic
• National TB Prevalence Survey, 2018-19 Key findings
• New WHO recommendations to prevent tuberculosis aim to save millions of lives
• World Health Organization (WHO) Information Note Tuberculosis and COVID-19
• World Tuberculosis Day 2020! It’s time to End TB!
• People-centred framework for tuberculosis programme planning and prioritization, User guide
• Global Tuberculosis Report 2019: Latest status of the tuberculosis epidemic
• Dissemination of Findings and Recommendations of Joint External Monitoring Mission(JEMM) of Nepal National Tuberculosis Program
• National Tuberculosis Programme Annual Report 2018
• National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Prevention, Care and Control 2016 – 2021
• NTP, Nepal: New TB Treatment Algorithm & Regimen (Updated)
• WHO announces landmark changes in MDR-TB treatment regimens
• TB Vaccine results announce a promising step towards ending the emergency
• 7 million people receive record levels of lifesaving TB treatment but 3 million still miss out