One of the most commendable things about the response to the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic currently underway, is how well key information has been shared worldwide. Despite misinformation from multiple quarters, the sharing of messaging has been sensitive, informative and highly effective in helping communities protect themselves.

A joint ECDC – WHO report released on 24 March 2020 shows an overall decline of 4% in the number of notified tuberculosis cases between 2014 and 2018 in the EU/EEA countries. Although this is evidence of improvement, the treatment success rates for new and relapse cases, as well as for patients with drug-resistant TB are still below regional and global targets. Improvements can be achieved through, for example, better management of latent TB as a preventative measure against active TB, says ECDC.

At Jan Swasthya Sahyog, a rural hospital in Chhattisgarh, we see numerous cases of tuberculosis every year, but it is becoming increasingly clear that our approach to the epidemic is all wrong. We recently took care of a 22-year-old patient we will call Leela Satnami.

Researchers in four countries will soon start a clinical trial of an unorthodox approach to the new coronavirus. They will test whether a century-old vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), a bacterial disease, can rev up the human immune system in a broad way, allowing it to better fight the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 and, perhaps, prevent infection with it altogether. The studies will be done in physicians and nurses, who are at higher risk of becoming infected with the respiratory disease than the general population, and in the elderly, who are at higher risk of serious illness if they become infected.

RESIST-TB will host a webinar on 26 March 2020 to discuss the recently published work on the NiX-TB trial, which focuses on treatment of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB).

23 March 2020: Ahead of World TB Day tomorrow, The Union announced that a multi-stakeholder approach to infectious disease control based on a partnership between government, the private sector, the research sector and affected community is essential if the COVID-19 virus is to be defeated. The Union also recognised that people living with tuberculosis (TB) are likely to be more vulnerable to COVID-19 and its effects and reiterated that is essential to ensure that access to TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment continue in what is an unsettling environment.

As the world is commemorating World TB Day on 24 March in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to remember that we need to sustain services for addressing TB epidemics and TB/HIV coinfections globally. There is still a US$ 3.3 billion yearly funding shortfall for TB prevention and care.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) updated two of its technical briefs, A rapid TB test for people living with HIV and Making the switch.

Nested in the long-running Singapore Chinese Health Study, a new study by researchers in Singapore, based on data from over 60,000 middle-aged to older adults, has found that people who suffer from diabetes and who are also underweight have a much higher risk of active tuberculosis (TB) than their heavier counterparts, supporting calls for TB screening among these patients.

GENEVA – The Global Fund announced today that 11 countries have so far used financial assistance from the Global Fund in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.