Tuberculosis
Key Publications
Since 2000, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and partners have saved more than 74 million lives globally.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers. Until the emergence of sars-cov-2, “the most destructive pathogen on the planet was Mycobacterium tuberculosis,” the bacterium that causes TB. Despite being preventable, treatable, and curable, this ancient disease continues to kill more people each year than HIV and malaria combined.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) leads the U.S. Government’s global TB efforts by working with agencies and partners around the world on the shared goals of reaching every person with the disease, curing those in need of treatment, and preventing the spread of new infections and the progression to active TB disease. In cooperation with Ministries of Health, USAID provides bilateral assistance in 24 countries with high burdens of TB. Leveraging the U.S. Government’s investment in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), USAID provides targeted technical assistance to an additional 31 countries.
Overall, since 2000, in USAID’s TB priority countries, TB incidence decreased by 25 percent, TB mortality decreased by 41 percent, and TB notifications increased by 106 percent.
COVID-19’S IMPACT ON TB PROGRAMMING
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic took a catastrophic toll on the global TB response. In USAID’s TB priority countries, there was a 20 percent decline in case notifications, as compared to 2019, and TB deaths increased for the first time in a decade. While there was a 15 percent increase in case notifications in 2021, the TB incidence, mortality, and case notifications rates did not rebound to 2019 levels in 2021. The 2021 case notification number still remains nine percent below 2019 levels, while mortality is eleven percent and incidence is five percent below 2019 levels.
USAID Priority Country Results: 2019-2021
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| 4.8 million TB cases detected | 3.8 million TB cases detected | 4.4 million TB cases detected |
| 5% increase in case notifications (compared to 2018) | 20% decrease in case notifications (compared to 2019) | 15% increase in case notification (compared to 2020) |
| 109,000 individuals with DR-TB started on treatment | 82,000 individuals with DR-TB started on treatment | 94,000 individuals with DR-TB started on treatment |
| 57,000 health workers trained | 33,180 health workers trained | 163,538 health workers trained |
| 88% treatment success rate | 89% treatment success rate | 89% treatment success rate |
| 6 research studies | 6 research studies | 7 research studies |