US aid funding cuts could lead to an extra 2.2 million tuberculosis deaths over the next 5 years

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-09-11 04:00

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The recent U.S. foreign aid cuts have impacted global health programs for tuberculosis (TB) and could lead to an extra 2.2 million deaths over the next five years, according to international research. In 2024, the US contributed over 55% of the external funding for TB programs, leading the researchers to model the impact of the funding cuts on 26 countries that rely on foreign aid and have a high TB burden. They found that the worst-case scenario, where services remain reduced over the long term, could result in an additional 10.67 million TB cases and 2.2 million deaths between 2025 and 2030. The best-case scenario, where services recover in three months, would likely lead to an extra 0.63 million cases and around 100,000 deaths.