On account of “World TB Day”, WHO calls for increased investments into TB Services and Research

On the 24th of March every year, the world observes World TB Day to spread public awareness about the global TB epidemic and efforts to eliminate the disease. This year, the theme of World TB Day is “Invest to End TB. Save Lives.” On account of World TB Day, the World Health Organization released updated guidelines on the management of TB, especially in children and adolescents.

The release mentioned, “On World TB Day, WHO calls for an urgent investment of resources, support, care, and information into the fight against tuberculosis (TB). Although 66 million lives have been saved since 2000, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed those gains. For the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020.”

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesys, the Director-General of the WHO said that “Urgent investments are needed to develop and expand access to the most innovative services and tools to prevent, detect and treat TB that could save millions of lives each year, narrow inequities and avert huge economic losses.” He reinstated the importance of the development of new tools to fight the Tuberculosis battle, like new TB Vaccines.

The regulatory body also added that “Almost two-thirds of eligible children under 5 did not receive TB preventive treatment and therefore remain at risk of illness.” The WHO called for an increase in investments into TB Services and Research. The guidelines to fight the current battle involve the following recommendations as, “Diagnostic testing must be expanded to include non-invasive specimens, such as stools”, “Rapid molecular diagnostics are recommended as the initial test for TB diagnosis for children, and adolescents”, and “New models of decentralized and integrated TB care to be formed.”