Urgent scale-up of research, innovation needed to end TB in South-East Asia: WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged an immediate scale-up in research, innovation, and collaboration to accelerate efforts to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) in the South-East Asia Region, which continues to bear nearly half of the global TB burden. 

Speaking at the launch of a three-day virtual workshop titled Advancing Research and Innovation to Accelerate Momentum Towards Ending TB in the WHO South-East Asia Region, hosted from New Delhi on Tuesday (5 August), Dr Catharina Boehme, officer-in-charge, WHO South-East Asia Region, said: "In our region alone, nearly 5 million people developed TB and close to 600,000 died from the disease in 2023." 

Highlighting the urgency, she added, "Achieving the ambitious targets in the WHO End TB Strategy requires collaboration to accelerate research and innovation. It requires the adoption and use of new tools, technologies, and drugs. Ensuring timely and equitable access to these innovations remains critical to achieving impacts at scale, leaving no one behind."

Although TB case notifications rose significantly in 2023—signalling recovery post-COVID-19 — progress remains insufficient. The End TB Strategy, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, targets a 90% reduction in TB deaths and an 80% drop in incidence by 2030, compared to 2015 levels. 

TB has reemerged as the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, disproportionately affecting the poorest and most vulnerable. In the South-East Asia Region, 30% to 80% of TB-affected households face catastrophic costs.

Still, progress is evident: 3.8 million cases were notified in 2023, with an 89% treatment success rate among those who began treatment in 2022. The proportion of missed cases fell to 22%, down from 44% in 2020.

Bangladesh recently completed a patient cost survey, while India's Reducing Activation of Tuberculosis by Improvement Of Nutritional Status (RATIONS) study on nutrition's impact on TB outcomes has influenced global policy. 

Community-driven innovations are also gaining traction. Nepal's TB-Free Pallika initiative and Myanmar's multisectoral coordination are helping deliver patient-centred care to vulnerable groups.

A WHO review found that over 3,000 TB-related research articles were published by Member States in the past six years, with 60% being original research. "Our progress is uneven," noted Dr Boehme, citing gaps in collaboration and rising drug-resistant TB. 

The ongoing workshop is addressing these issues by promoting South-South collaboration, improving digital tools for patient care, tackling vaccine hesitancy, and identifying research priorities linked to social determinants like undernutrition and climate change.