As countries move towards TB elimination, broader and more systematic mass screening approaches particularly in high-burden communities may be required alongside strengthened contact investigation and preventive treatment.
5. Social and economic barriers continue to fuel TB
TB is closely linked with poverty, overcrowded housing, poor nutrition, and limited access to healthcare. Even when diagnosis and treatment are provided free of charge, patients often face indirect costs such as transportation, lost income, and food insecurity.
Example: A daily wage worker may delay seeking diagnosis because attending a clinic means losing a day's income. This delay increases both disease severity and community transmission.
6. Universal health coverage is still incomplete
Many countries have not fully incorporated TB prevention and care into universal health coverage. Financial constraint remains a major barrier to early diagnosis, treatment completion, and preventive care.
Ending TB requires ensuring that no individual faces financial barriers to accessing diagnosis, treatment, preventive therapy, nutrition support, or management of associated conditions such as smoking, diabetes and HIV.
7. Prevention remains underinvested and fractured
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