The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the 2025 funding cuts will have a devastating impact on tuberculosis (TB) programmes.
According to a release by the organisation on Thursday in Abuja, the cuts will particularly affect low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that rely heavily on international aid, as the U.S. has been the largest bilateral donor.
“These cuts put 18 of the highest burden countries at risk, as they depended on 89 per cent of the expected U.S. funding for TB care.
“The African region is hardest hit by the funding disruptions, followed by the South-East Asian and Western Pacific regions,” it said.
It said that in the past two decades, tuberculosis prevention, testing, and treatment services had saved more than 79 million lives averting approximately 3.65 million deaths last year alone.
”This progress has been driven by critical foreign aid especially in LMICs particularly from USAID.
“However, abrupt funding cuts now threaten to undo these hard-won gains, putting millions—especially the most vulnerable at grave risk.
Based on data reported by national TB programmes to WHO and the U.S. government’s reporting to the Creditor Reporting System of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
“The U.S. government has provided approximately 200 to 250 million dollars annually in bilateral funding for the TB response at country level,’ it said
According to it, the funding is approximately one quarter of the total amount of international donor funding for TB.
WHO Director of Global Programme on TB and Lung Health, Dr Tereza Kasaeva, said that any disruption to TB services whether financial, political, or operational could have devastating and often fatal consequences for millions worldwide.
“The COVID-19 pandemic proved this, as service interruptions led to over 700,000 excess deaths from TB between 2020 and 2023, exacerbated by inadequate social protection measures.
“Without immediate action, hard-won progress in the fight against TB is at risk.
“Our collective response must be swift, strategic, and fully resourced to protect the most vulnerable and maintain momentum toward ending TB.” Kasaeva said.
She said that mandated by Heads of State, WHO played a crucial leadership role in guiding countries toward the `End TB’ targets for 2027 and 2030.
”Early reports to WHO from the 30 highest TB-burden countries confirmed that funding withdrawals are already dismantling essential services, threatening the global fight against TB.
”This includes health and community workforce crises with thousands of health workers in high-burden countries facing layoffs, while technical assistance roles have been suspended, crippling national TB programs,”Kasaeva said.
She said that drug supply chains were breaking down due to staff suspensions, lack of funds, and data failures, jeopardising access to TB treatment and prevention services.
According to her, laboratory services are severely disrupted, with sample transportation, procurement delays, and shortages of essential consumables halting diagnostic efforts.
“Data and surveillance systems are collapsing, undermining routine reporting and drug resistance monitoring.
“Community engagement efforts including active case finding, screening, and contact tracing are deteriorating, reducing early TB detection and increasing transmission risks.
“Without immediate intervention, these systemic failures will cripple TB prevention and treatment efforts, reverse decades of progress, and endanger millions of lives,” she said.
Kasaeva said that in addition, USAID, the world’s third-largest TB research funder, had halted all its funded trials, severely disrupting progress in TB research and innovation.
NAN
