On World TB Day 2025, the Ifakara Health Institute joins the global community in marking this day which serves as a critical reminder of the urgent need to end tuberculosis (TB), one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases. TB continues to affect millions worldwide, causing severe health, social, and economic consequences.

This year’s theme, "Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver," is a bold call for hope, urgency, and accountability in the fight against TB.

About World TB Day

World TB Day commemorates March 24, 1882, when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. Learn more: World TB Day 2025 

The TB Burden

TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. Every day, over 4,100 people lose their lives to TB, and nearly 30,000 people fall ill—despite the disease being preventable and curable. Alarmingly, for the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020, with an estimated 10 million people falling ill globally.

Today, TB is the 13th leading cause of death worldwide and the 2nd leading infectious killer after COVID-19. These figures highlight the urgent need to accelerate investment in new tools, particularly new TB vaccines. Ending TB requires collective action from all sectors.

On World TB Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls on individuals, communities, societies, donors, and governments to do their part in the fight against TB.

Together, we can end TB