Member States of the WHO South-East Asia Region today committed to stronger, more integrated action to close critical gaps to end tuberculosis (TB), focusing on earlier diagnosis, better access to prevention and treatment, stronger financial protection for families, and readiness for new TB vaccines.
“Tuberculosis is curable and preventable, yet it continues to take hundreds of thousands of lives in our Region every year and pushes families into poverty,” said Dr Nilesh Buddha, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia Region, at the Seventy-ninth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia, “We have the tools to change this trajectory. What we need is to ensure that these tools reach everyone who needs them – earlier, equitably and as part of quality primary health care.”
The WHO South-East Asia Region is home to almost a quarter of the world’s population, but accounted for approximately 34% of new TB cases globally in 2024 – an estimated 3.68 million cases – and approximately 433 000 deaths. Around 150 000 people developed multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant TB, representing more than 38% of the global burden.
Countries agreed to strengthen early and complete detection of people with TB through routine services, systematic screening and active case finding among high-risk and underserved populations, alongside wider use of WHO-recommended rapid diagnostics, including molecular diagnostics and digital technologies where appropriate.