Kabul, Afghanistan – Today, the Government of Afghanistan and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) along with health development partners, commemorate World Tuberculosis (TB) Day to mobilize political and social commitment towards eliminating TB.

World TB Day, on March 24, commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch discovered mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB remains the world’s leading infectious killer and the ninth leading cause of death globally, responsible for the deaths of nearly 1.6 million people each year.

During the last decade, remarkable progress has been made in the diagnosis of TB in Afghanistan. Over 386,000 cases were identified in the last decade, and over 90 percent of those were successfully treated.

USAID Acting Mission Director Jeff Cohen stated that “Our Challenge TB program is committed to reaching every Afghan with TB, cure those in need of treatment, and prevent new TB infections in Afghanistan”.

His Excellency Dr. Ferozuddin Feroz, Minister of Public Health (MoPH), expressed appreciation for the stakeholder collaboration fighting to end TB in Afghanistan.

USAID recently launched a new innovative model, “The USAID Global Accelerator to End Tuberculosis”, that will leverage additional resources from countries, private sector partners, and other local organizations to end the epidemic while helping countries on their journey to self-reliance.

Representatives of the MoPH, other government ministries, stakeholders, and the private sector participated in the event.

With almost $19 billion spent on development programs in Afghanistan since 2002, USAID provides the largest bilateral civilian assistance program to Afghanistan. USAID partners with the Government and people of Afghanistan to ensure economic growth led by the country’s private sector, to establish a democratic and capable state governed by the rule of law, and to provide basic health and education services for all Afghans.

• Press Release - Commemorate World Tuberculosis Day 2019 (Dari)
• Press Release - Commemorate World Tuberculosis Day 2019 (Pashto)