TB is often thought of as a disease of the past but a recent resurgence and the spread of drug-resistant forms make it very much an issue of the present day and age - almost half a million people develop multidrug-resistant strains of the disease every year, and we are seeing an alarming rise in cases of drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB and MDR-TB) that do not respond to the customary first-line drugs.
TB occurs in every part of the world, however the vast majority of cases and deaths are in low- and middle-income countries. According to the World Health Organization, in 2021, around two-thirds of all TB cases occurred in just eight countries: India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
MSF has been fighting TB for over 30 years. We provide treatment for the disease in many different contexts, from chronic conflict situations, such as Sudan, to vulnerable patients in relatively stable settings such as Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation.
Figures about tuberculosis and our response
Data and information from MSF and other iNGOs
10M+
people develop active TB every year
17K+
people started on TB treatment in MSF programmes in 2022
2,590
people started on drug-resistant TB treatment in MSF programmes in 2022
