World TB Day is an opportunity to raise public awareness about the devastating consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to eliminate the disease. Even though it is preventable and curable, tuberculosis continues to be the number one infectious killer and among the top 10 leading causes of all deaths worldwide. According to The Global Fund, in 2023, an estimated 10.8 million people fell ill with TB worldwide and 1.25 million people died from the disease.
Japan has its own personal history of its struggle with TB. Tuberculosis was the biggest cause of death in post-war Japan, being so pervasive that it was recognized as a “national disease.” Then in the 1950s, Japan launched a nationwide, multisectoral effort to combat and prevent TB, which led to significant reductions in TB infections and deaths and also acted as a roadmap for the eventual achivement of universal health coverage (UHC) in Japan, a comprehensive health system available to all.
Japan’s intensive fight against TB as a path to delivering UHC has shown that fighting infectious diseases can lead to creating resilient health systems. The lesson that can be learned from Japan’s success is to seize this double opportunity in the global fight to end TB and other infectious diseases such as HIV and malaria.
FGFJ has created videos documenting the stories of those involved in the fight against TB around the world. To learn more, click on the images below:
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