Tuberculosis
Since 2000, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and partners have saved more than 66 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 32 countries.
USAID leads the U.S. Government’s global TB efforts by supporting bilateral programs in 24 priority TB countries and providing technical assistance to 55 countries.
As part of the Agency’s commitment to sustainability, USAID launched its TB business model, the Global Accelerator to End TB, in September 2018. The Accelerator increases commitment from, and builds the capacity of, governments, civil society, and the private sector to accelerate national progress in reaching the global targets set forth at the United Nations High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on TB.
COVID-19’S IMPACT ON TB PROGRAMMING
COVID-19 had a devastating impact on global TB efforts. At the onset of the pandemic, a USAID-funded modeling study cited that COVID-19’s impact on the global TB response is projected to sicken an additional 6.3 million people with TB and cause an additional 1.4 million TB deaths by 2025.11 Data collected in 2020 confirms the start of this downward trajectory, and the trend is expected to worsen in 2021 in several countries. To help address these declines, USAID has developed urgent TB program recovery plans in support of National TB Programs’ larger efforts to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on countries’ TB responses.
In Fiscal Year 2021, using FY2020 funds, USAID TB investments totaled $310 million. Below are 2020 statistics for USAID’s 23 TB priority countries:
