In the past two decades, tuberculosis (TB) prevention, testing and treatment services have saved more than 79 million lives – averting approximately 3.65 million deaths last year alone from the world’s deadliest infectious disease. This progress has been driven by critical foreign aid especially in low- and middle-income countries (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 reporting by the United States of America government to the creditor reporting system of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United States government has provided approximately US$ 200–250 million annually in bilateral funding for the TB response at country level. This funding was approximately one quarter of the total amount of international donor funding for TB.