The End TB Strategy
Ending TB is not just a public health problem, but a development challenge and opportunity. WHO’s post-2015 End TB Strategy, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2014, aims to end the global TB epidemic as part of the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals.
It serves as a blueprint for countries to reduce TB incidence by 80%, TB deaths by 90%, and to eliminate catastrophic costs for TB-affected households by 2030. The Strategy is not a “one size fits all” approach and its success depends on adaptation for diverse country settings.
Global TB Strategy with ambitious targets
The World Health Assembly passed a resolution in May 2014 approving with full support the new post-2015 End TB Strategy with its ambitious targets.
2 December 2015
Implementing the end TB Strategy
The aim of this document (The Essentials), is to guide actions that are needed at national level to adapt, launch and implement the World Health Organization’s...
The resolution calls on governments to adapt and implement the strategy with high-level commitment and financing. It focuses on serving populations highly vulnerable to infection and poor health care access, such as migrants. The strategy and resolution both highlight the need to engage partners within the health sector and beyond, such as in the fields of social protection, labour, immigration and justice.
WHO will monitor the implementation of the strategy and evaluate progress towards the milestones and the 2035 targets.
- Resolution developed by the World Health Assembly
- WHO report to the World Health Assembly on the End TB Strategy and targets
Topics
Strategy pillars
Ending the TB epidemic is a target under the Sustainable Development Goals that requires implementing a mix of biomedical, public health target and socioeconomic interventions along with research and innovation. The End TB Strategy encompasses a package
of interventions that fall under three pillars. The first pillar – integrated, patient-centred care and prevention - puts patients at the heart of service delivery. The second pillar – bold policies and supportive systems – requires
intense participation across government, communities and private stakeholders. The third pillar – intensified research and innovation – is critical to break the trajectory of the TB epidemic and reach the global targets.
Strategy principles
The End TB Strategy builds on three strategic pillars underpinned by four key principles focusing on government stewardship, a strong coalition made up of civil society and communities, promoting human rights and equity, and adaptation of the Strategy
at the country level. The success of the Strategy in driving down TB deaths and illness will depend on countries respecting the key principles as they implement the interventions outlined in each pillar.
Adapting the strategy
To successfully roll-out the Strategy, countries and partners will need to focus on advocacy, baseline preparedness and collaboration. Implementing the End TB Strategy requires intensified action from and beyond the ministries of health, in close
collaboration with all stakeholders including other ministries, communities, civil society and the private sector. It is essential for countries to “know their epidemic” by assessing the TB situation on the ground. The creation of
a high-level multi-stakeholder coordinating mechanism led by the national government can also significantly enhance the implementation of the End TB Strategy.
Measuring progress
Reliable measurement of progress in reducing TB incidence, TB deaths and catastrophic costs is essential. High-performance TB surveillance within national health information systems and national vital registration systems must be in place to monitor
TB incidence and TB mortality, while special surveys are the most appropriate way to measure catastrophic costs. All countries should reach the ≥90% targets for treatment coverage, TB treatment success rate, preventive treatment coverage and
uptake of new diagnostics and drugs by 2025 at the latest. In addition, 100% of TB-affected families should be protected from catastrophic costs.
TB Elimination
Global elimination of TB as a public health problem, defined as <1 TB case per million population, is a long-term vision of WHO’s End TB Strategy, while the time-bound global target is to “End the global TB epidemic”, defined
as bringing down the global incidence from >1,000 per million population in 2015 to <100 per million by 2035.
Towards TB elimination in low-incidence countries
Towards TB elimination in low-incidence countries