Prompt diagnosis and treatment of TB are essential to achieving the End TB strategy goal of a world free of TB by 2035.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our lives, more so in TB where deaths have increased for the first time in over a decade because of reduced access to TB diagnosis and treatment. In 2020, approximately 4.3 million people fell ill with TB but went undiagnosed and were not reported. COVID-19 did also accelerate innovation, specifically the development of molecular diagnostic platforms and non-sputum based sampling such as swabs, the combination of which can be repurposed for TB and be truly transformative for our control efforts.
The theme of World TB Day 2022 - ‘Invest to End TB. Save Lives.’ - conveys the urgent need to invest resources to accelerate the fight against TB and to achieve the commitments to end TB. These investments need to be in effective strategies to facilitate the prompt diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in countries with a high burden of the disease.
Join The Aurum Institute and FIND, for a webinar which will bring together global experts, civil society and government, to discuss TB diagnostic strategies that can facilitate improved access to testing and ensure that the large number of missed TB cases are identified and started on treatment.
Click here to register.
