Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is a global health threat due to high mortality, cost of treatment and risk of transmission. In 2021, there were an estimated 450 000 cases of DR-TB worldwide and 191 000 deaths. South Africa has one of the highest numbers of drug-resistant patients globally, but shockingly only 50% of these patients are started on treatment.

RESIST-TB released its September 2023 newsletter with the latest updates and research publications on drug-resistant TB.

For 2021, the 30 countries in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) reported a total of 33 527 tuberculosis (TB) cases (7.4 per 100 000 population).

Treatment Action Group releases an updated Information note providing details on the new 0.15% fair share funding targets for TB research.

Two position papers, developed by the Global TB Community Advisory Board (TB CAB), are published in the September 2023 issue of Public Health Action.

The Stop TB Partnership and partners are calling on all member states to accelerate negotiations to ensure they reach consensus on a strong Political Declaration prior to the UN High-Level Meeting on TB on 22 September, without weakening any of the current targets or key commitments in the latest version. It would be an unprecedented failure if there is no outcome document agreed at the High-Level Meeting on TB in three weeks' time.

Ahead of the High-Level Meeting on TB, Médecins Sans Frontières will host a webinar on 8 September 2023 to provide information about the next phase of the Time for $5 Campaign, calling on the diagnostics company Cepheid and its parent corporation Danaher to reduce the price of the GeneXpert test cartridge to $5.

An editorial, published in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, elaborates on the need to advance child-friendly medications to treat pediatric drug-resistant TB.

The World Health Organization releases an operational handbook on TB infection prevention and control, providing practical advice to complement its evidence-based guidelines.

Mass screening is more effective than passive detection for identifying tuberculosis (TB) infection in older adults, primarily due to higher detection rates among asymptomatic individuals and those with limited health care access.