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Tuberculosis

World TB Day 2025

Every year, 24 March is observed as World Tuberculosis Day to amplify the urgency of ending tuberculosis (TB), the world's deadliest infectious disease. The theme of this year's campaign is "Yes, We Can End TB – Commit, Invest, Deliver” and the World Health Organization (WHO) is marking the event with renewed calls for action to end TB.

TB remains a significant public health concern in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. According to the latest WHO data, the Region’s 22 countries and territories account for 8.7% of global TB cases. In 2023, there were an estimated 936 000 new TB cases and nearly 86 000 deaths.

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What is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (simply called TB) is an infectious disease primarily caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB mainly affects the lungs (“pulmonary TB”) but can attack any part of the body (“extra-pulmonary TB”).

Like the common cold, TB spreads through the air. Only people who are sick with pulmonary TB are infectious. When infectious people cough, sneeze, talk, spit, laugh or sing they propel the TB germs (known as bacilli) into the air. If a healthy uninfected person inhales air containing the TB bacilli they can become infected themselves.

Infection with TB generally occurs during close contact over a period of time with someone with TB disease. Overcrowding in the home or at the workplace is thus considered to be an important predisposing factor for catching TB.

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Epidemiology

In 2020, WHO estimated that the TB incidence rate was 112 per 100 000 population in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. The Region accounts for almost 8% of all global TB cases.

The two countries accounting for the highest proportions of regional TB incidence are Pakistan (70%) and Afghanistan (9%). In 2020, WHO estimated that there were 80 000 deaths in the Region among TB patients who were negative for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A steady slow decline in the overall mortality rate previously noted in the Region was reversed following a rise in deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

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Strategy

end-tbThe Regional TB Programme (RTB) is working towards a WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region free of tuberculosis (TB) – with zero TB-related deaths, disease and suffering.

The work of RTB, guided by the upcoming Tuberculosis regional action plan for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region 2023–2030, will strengthen implementation of the WHO End TB Strategy in all countries of the Region in order to achieve the stated Strategy targets and milestones of:

reducing TB deaths by 90% by 2030 compared with 2015;

reducing TB incidence by 80% by 2030 compared with 2015; and

ensuring that no TB-affected person or family faces catastrophic costs due to TB.

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