Tuberculosis (TB) news, resources and funding for global health researchers

A major cause of death and disability worldwide, tuberculosis is a contagious lung disease that spreads through the air when people infected with it cough, sneeze, talk or spit. TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which usually attacks the lungs, but can affect other parts of the body like the kidney, spine and brain. The disease can be fatal if not treated properly.

According to the World Health Organization, there are almost 2 million TB-related deaths each year, and more than 9 million people around the world become sick with the disease annually. In 2009, almost 10 million children were orphaned as a result of parental deaths caused by TB. The spread of multidrug-resistant TB is a growing global threat, with hundreds of thousands of new cases emerging each year.

TB coinfection with HIV/AIDS is also a serious health issue and a leading cause of death worldwide among people with HIV. Several NIH research and research training programs are helping to reduce the impact of tuberculosis both in the U.S. and overseas.

Grant Awards Related to TB

• View a list of Fogarty grant awards related to tuberculosis (TB).

Recent News

• The lived experiences of tuberculosis survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic and government lockdown in South Africa: a qualitative analysis, co-authored by Fogarty fellow Ann Scheunemann
  BMC Public Health, September 5, 2023
• TB drug interactions among people living with HIV in Uganda
  Global Health Matters, July/August 2023
• Investigational Three-Month TB Regimen Is Safe but Ineffective, NIH Study Finds
  NIH/NIAID news, July 5, 2023
• Human testing for potential new TB treatment, first in nearly six decades profile of Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Admire Dube
  Nature Africa, June 27, 2023
• Temperature-Stable TB Vaccine Safe, Prompts Immune Response in NIH-Supported Study
  NIH/NIAID news, March 6, 2023
• WHO announces plans to establish a TB Vaccine Accelerator council
  WHO news, January 17, 2023
• Tackling tobacco, TB, and mental health in South Africa
  Nov/Dec 2022 Global Health Matters
• Tuberculosis deaths and disease increase during the COVID-19 pandemic
  WHO news, October 27, 2022
  
• Treatment for drug-resistant TB still effective with lower dosage and fewer side effects
  Sept/Oct 2022, Global Health Matters
  • Commentary: Tuberculosis recovery in Georgia: implementing more by 24 co-authored by Fogarty grantees Drs. Maia Kipiani, Nestani Tukvadze, and Henry Blumberg
  
  

NIH News and Resources

• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) tuberculosis (TB) topic page
• National Library of Medicine's Medline Plus tuberculosis topic page

Other US Government Resources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
  • Tuberculosis (TB) topic page
  • TB and HIV coinfection
• U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID):Tuberculosis

Other Online Resources

• World Health Organization (WHO)
• Tuberculosis topic page
• Tuberculosis fact sheet
• Global Tuberculosis Report
• World Bank: Tuberculosis control
• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Updated September 18, 2023