CIDRAP News: WHO report warns efforts to end TB are falling short
“The number of new tuberculosis (TB) cases continued to decline in 2017, and fewer people died from the disease, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) 2018 Global TB Report. But efforts to make the world’s deadliest infectious disease a ‘disease of the past’ need to be ramped up, agency officials said [Tuesday]…” (9/18).

Devex: Scant improvement on TB underscores need for urgent actions, say campaigners
“With huge gaps remaining in tuberculosis detection and treatment, advocates are urging world leaders to take a strong stand at next week’s United Nations high-level meeting to put an end to the disease. They want leaders to commit, at an unprecedented rate, to scaling up diagnosis and treatment of all forms of TB infection…” (Ravelo, 9/19).

HuffPost: Tuberculosis Remains World’s Top Infectious Killer, But A Turning Point May Be Near
“…Prior U.N. high-level meetings have rallied global support and resources to make rapid progress in fighting health crises. The meeting adds to growing political support against TB. The disease was included in last year’s G20 leaders’ declaration, the WHO ministerial conference on tuberculosis led by Russian President Vladimir Putin in November, and the ‘game-changing’ pledge by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end TB by 2025…” (Weber, 9/18).

U.N. News: U.N. tuberculosis summit ‘historic opportunity’ to put response ‘back on track’: new WHO report
“…U.N. chief António Guterres, speaking in June at a preparatory civil society hearing held at United Nations headquarters, said that, to win the fight against tuberculosis, it is necessary to tackle the ‘social drivers’ of the disease — in particular poverty and inequality — head on, making greater efforts to provide universal health coverage and combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. … Whilst under-reporting and under-diagnosis are mentioned as major challenges in the fight against TB, the most urgent stumbling block is funding…” (9/18).

Additional coverage of the WHO’s TB report is available from Healio, Science Speaks, The Telegraph, United Press International, and Xinhua News (2).