Controlling the Global TB Epidemic

Quarter of the world’s population – nearly 2 billion people – are infected with the TB bacteria, and approximately 10 million people become ill each year with the disease. Although it is preventable and treatable, TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, taking the lives of 4,100 people each day.

As a global community, we have made tremendous progress in ending TB, but challenges remain. Populations most vulnerable to TB, including children, pregnant women, people living with HIV, miners, and healthcare workers, are often missed by health systems and do not receive the care they need. Drug-resistant TB is a growing threat and poses another serious challenge to controlling the spread of TB worldwide.

CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB (DGHT) is on the frontlines in more than 25 countries with high TB prevalence and working to sustain efforts by partner governments to find, cure, and prevent TB. CDC’s global TB response efforts help to ensure a safer America and a safer world.

These same platforms are being leveraged in the fight against COVID-19.