We need to be able to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) as fast as we can diagnose COVID-19 in order to adapt conditions according to diagnostic test results. In the same way that Thailand placed restrictions on communal activities upon rapidly diagnosing more than 50,000 new COVID-19 cases, effective diagnostics must be developed for tuberculosis so that similar preventative methods can be enforced in TB-prone areas [“Thailand drops pre-arrival COVID test for foreign visitors,” March 18, Nation & World News].
Current diagnostic methods for tuberculosis are expensive, lengthy, inaccurate, and inaccessible for patient populations at risk. The World Health Organization has recognized the need for a rapid tuberculosis test in the End TB Strategy by stating that “all countries should aim to [achieve the] uptake of new diagnostics” by following the plan’s first pillar: integrated, patient-centered care and prevention. A significant step toward achieving this goal is found in the work of the Global Fund Replenishment Conference to fight AIDS, TB and malaria.
Urge your elected officials to follow through on the United States’ pledge by ensuring that the Global Fund’s objective of raising $2 billion for fiscal year 2023 is met and appropriated for this next fiscal year toward saving millions from TB around the world.
Ria Mohan, Redmond
Discussion about this post