The Conversation: Hope rises for a world free of TB
Madhukar Pai, director of global health and professor at McGill University

“World TB Day 2018 is turning out to be special — never in the history of tuberculosis (TB) control has there been greater political attention and commitment to tackling the infectious disease that causes nearly two million deaths a year. … [But u]nless there is serious political commitment, funding, and execution, it will be impossible to meet the global End TB targets. This is why the G20, Moscow, Delhi, and UNGA meetings are so critical — to convince our political leaders that they need to wake up to the realities of the TB epidemic, and step up with clear actions and commitments. … India’s leadership, in particular, is absolutely fundamental to meeting global End TB goals. … Thinking beyond India, I am convinced other high-TB countries also have a key leadership role to play. … It is therefore critical for countries most affected by TB to step up, show leadership, and invest in TB control. The world simply cannot depend on a few wealthy countries with very low TB incidence to support all the effort that is required to tackle TB…” (3/20).