Andrea Gori

Hai-Feng Pan

Adwoa Asante-Poku 

World tuberculosis day takes place on the 24th of March, commemorating the date Robert Koch announced he had discovered TB bacillus, the bacterium causing tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is still a widespread epidemic in various parts of the world, leading to over one and a half million worldwide annual deaths, which disproportionally affects developing countries. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted countries’ focus away from tuberculosis, putting the goals of the End TB project at risk. The World Tuberculosis Day 2023 focuses on boosting awareness, hoping to increase public and political involvement —which will be crucial for the UN High-level meeting on TB in September 2023. Political will is needed to increase financial investment in current TB programs, as well as to improve the research and development of strategies to improve TB prevention (such as the development of a new TB vaccine), TB diagnosis (such as improving the speed and efficiency of current molecular diagnostic tests), and TB treatment (such as finding shorter and more efficient treatments). It is in this spirit that Frontiers is launching a new article collection to coincide with this UN day. This occasion not only offers an opportunity to raise the visibility of tuberculosis but also to consider solutions to this ongoing epidemic.

Hai-Feng Pan

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