According to Matshidiso Moeti, the regional director for Africa at the World Health Organization (WHO), African countries need to work together and invest in impactful interventions to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2030. Governments, industry, and donor partners can make a significant reduction in Africa’s high TB burden by investing in new diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments.
TB remains the second leading cause of death from a single infectious agent in Africa, surpassing the toll of HIV and AIDS. In 2022, approximately 2.5 million people on the continent contracted TB, equating to one person becoming infected every 13 seconds. The number of TB-related deaths in 2022 reached 424,000, resulting in one life lost every minute despite the disease being preventable and treatable.
Moeti emphasized the need for collective action to address the TB epidemic in Africa. The WHO African Region has provided strategic guidance and monitoring tools like the African TB Scorecard to expedite progress towards eliminating the highly contagious lung disease.
This year’s World Tuberculosis Day, with the theme “Yes! We can end TB!,” aims to raise awareness and campaigns to eradicate the bacterial disease, which thrives in environments characterized by pollution, overcrowding, and poverty.
Moeti underscored the importance of sharing knowledge and best practices in effective TB control, ensuring easy access to rapid diagnostics, and fostering regional collaboration to eliminate TB as a public health threat in Africa.
Significant progress has been made in the fight against TB in Africa, with a 38 percent reduction in deaths achieved between 2015 and 2022 and a 23 percent decrease in new cases during the same period.
Moeti highlighted the key actions needed to eliminate TB in Africa, including addressing multidrug-resistant TB, enhancing surveillance, securing adequate funding, conducting research, engaging communities, and strengthening health systems.
