Today is World TB Day and an opportunity for us to come together to fight a disease that causes 1.5 million deaths each year. Despite being curable, tuberculosis (TB) is now the world’s leading infectious killer, taking a life every 21 seconds.

On March 17, just ahead of World TB Day, more than 300 people, including advocates, TB survivors, and global health leaders, engaged in the fight against TB, came together in Washington, D.C., at a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) event to celebrate progress and renew their commitments to ending the TB epidemic.

At the event, USAID recognized three exceptional TB Champions for their outstanding achievements in combating TB and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). This year's TB Champion recipients are Partners in Health for their trailblazing work on TB, and the Ministries of Health for the Republic of South Africa and Pakistan for exemplary leadership and strong political commitment to fighting TB in all its devastating forms.

Watch Dr. Jim Kim's inspiring remarks, encouraging us all to do more and to think of ourselves not only as TB champions, but also as "warriors for the poor."

View a live-stream recording of the World TB Day event to hear first-hand from our TB Champions.

As the lead U.S. Government agency for global TB, USAID is committed to the fight against TB and to supporting the White House National Action Plan for Combating MDR-TB. 

Together, with support from our partners, we have helped save 43 million lives in the past 15 years. With continued collaboration, investment, and innovation, we can ultimately achieve a TB-free world. 

Let’s keep the momentum going this World TB Day and Unite to End TB! 

To find out more about USAID’s work on TB:

• Visit USAID’s World TB Day page
• Add the Red Arrow to your profile photos to show your support for ending TB
• Follow us on Twitter at @USAIDGH, and join the conversation using #WorldTBDay and #TBFreeWorld
• Watch our Facebook page for updates and photos from events throughout the week
• Check out our World TB Day Social Media Toolkit for ideas and inspiration on how to spread the word and raise awareness
• Read the U.S. Government 2015–2019 TB Strategy [PDF, 1.8MB]

Photo credit: USAID/Rob Mesite (both)