Preventable disease, yet persistent challenge: Pakistan flags challenges on World TB Day

On World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, Pakistan renewed calls for stronger national and global efforts to combat tuberculosis, a preventable disease that continues to claim millions of lives each year.

Health authorities and partners highlighted that TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, with the World Health Organization estimating millions of new cases annually and over a million deaths. Despite being both treatable and preventable, the disease continues to pose a major public health challenge, particularly in countries with limited resources and strained healthcare systems.

Pakistan carries a significant share of the global TB burden, reporting hundreds of thousands of new cases every year. Experts say progress toward elimination has been slowed by factors such as delayed diagnosis, limited awareness, social stigma, and gaps in healthcare access, especially in underserved communities.

Efforts to expand treatment and detection have increased through collaborations between public institutions and development partners. Initiatives supported by organizations such as Mercy Corps Pakistan, alongside national and provincial TB programs and international funding mechanisms, have helped extend services through public-private models aimed at reaching more vulnerable populations.

Health professionals and implementing partners stress that ending tuberculosis will require more than medical treatment alone. They point to the need for sustained political commitment, increased domestic investment in healthcare, stronger supply chains for medicines, and greater community engagement to reduce stigma and encourage early diagnosis.

World Tuberculosis Day serves as a reminder of the urgency to strengthen coordinated action, improve health systems, and ensure equitable access to care in order to move closer to eliminating TB in Pakistan and beyond.