WHO Warns of Tuberculosis Surge Due to Aid Cuts
Global, Monday, 10 March 2025.
The World Health Organization warns that cuts to USAID funds could result in millions of additional tuberculosis cases and deaths, calling for urgent policy intervention to prevent a global health crisis.
Global Impact and Current Crisis
The situation has reached a critical point, with an estimated 3,400 additional TB deaths and 6,000 new infections occurring since January 24, 2025, due to USAID funding discontinuation [1]. This comes at a time when tuberculosis already claims more lives than any other infectious disease, with approximately 8.2 million people diagnosed and 1.25 million deaths recorded in 2023 [1]. The funding crisis is particularly severe as USAID previously provided about a quarter of international donor funding for tuberculosis services, contributing up to $250 million annually across 24 countries [1].
Healthcare System Disruption
The immediate effects of the funding cuts are already visible in global healthcare systems. Drug supply chains are breaking down, laboratory services face severe disruption, and surveillance systems are collapsing, compromising the ability to identify, monitor, and treat TB cases effectively [1]. This crisis is exacerbated by recent trends, as demonstrated by the United States’ own TB resurgence, with more than 9,600 cases recorded in 2023 - representing a nearly 16% increase from the previous year and a 9% rise compared to pre-pandemic levels [1].
Treatment Challenges and Resistance Concerns
The standard treatment protocol for tuberculosis requires a complex regimen of multiple drugs administered over several months [3]. Initial treatment typically involves a two-month course combining isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide, followed by an additional four to nine months of continuous treatment [3]. The current funding crisis threatens to disrupt these established treatment protocols, potentially leading to an increase in drug-resistant TB cases, which require approximately two years of treatment with medications that often have severe side effects [3].
Future Implications and Global Health Goals
The WHO’s ambitious goal to reduce tuberculosis cases by 80% and deaths by 90% by 2030 now appears increasingly unattainable [1]. The disruption extends beyond immediate patient care, affecting clinical trials that are crucial for developing treatments for drug-resistant infections and new detection methods [1]. Dr. Luke Davis from the Yale School of Public Health warns that patients may receive delayed diagnoses and remain unknowingly infectious at home due to resource constraints [1]. This situation threatens to reverse decades of progress in global TB control, with particularly severe implications for regions dependent on international aid for their TB programs.