Ministry of Health and WHO commemorate 143rd World Tuberculosis Day: “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver.”

World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, celebrated annually on March 24, provides an opportunity each year to highlight the urgency of ending TB, the world’s deadliest infectious disease. TB continues to devastate millions globally, inflicting severe health, social, and economic consequences.

Ministry of Health, National Tuberculosis Control Center (NTC), World Health Organization (WHO) and partners organized the walking event on 29 March 2025 at Patuxay road in Vientiane to mark the 143^rd World Tuberculosis Day, under the theme: “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver”.

Globally, 3400 people lose their lives to TB every day, and almost 30 000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance. In Lao PDR, TB remains a public health threat, with WHO estimating approximately 10 000 new or relapsed cases in 2023, and 1100 deaths. Positively, TB treatment coverage rates in Lao PDR reached 90% (of the WHO estimated number of new TB cases) in 2023.

“To be free from TB, Lao PDR reiterates its commitment to reach the unreached and find all missed TB cases, to achieve the End TB Strategy, and ensure a world free of TB by 2030,” stated the vice minister of health, Dr. Phayvanh Keopaseuth.

“To achieve this goal, the Ministry of Health, TB program and partners are working hard to maintain essential TB services by decentralizing prevention and care,  focusing on vulnerable populations who are more affected and face challenges in access to care, increasing accessibility to important early detection, diagnosis with high-quality care especially for drug-resistant TB, and scaling up of TB preventive treatment at the health center level across the country.”

“However, there are still many undiagnosed and untreated TB patients, which means TB remains in the community. It is important to seek the support of every individual, partner and sector, and work together, to ensure that all suspected TB cases have access to health services and immediate treatment,” added vice minister Phayvanh.

“WHO plays a pivotal role in empowering nations to achieve ambitious ‘End TB’ targets and ensuring universal access to lifesaving prevention and care,” said WHO Lao PDR Representative Dr Timothy Armstrong:

“In the lead up to World TB Day, WHO is calling for action on several fronts to ensure that the commitments made to end TB are achieved:

• First, WHO urges immediate acceleration to transform commitments into decisive action.
• Second, WHO calls for significantly increased and sustained strategic investment to accelerate tuberculosis response and advance critical research.
• Third, WHO calls for urgent action to deliver on commitments by rapidly accelerating the adoption of WHO guidelines, ensuring universal access to effective TB prevention and care.
• Fourth, WHO strongly urges coordinated action from sectors, communities, and civil society to drive a powerful and united front against the epidemic.”

“All these joint actions can help drive the TB response to save lives and achieve the global TB targets. As requested in the second UN High Level Meeting political declaration, WHO will continue to provide global leadership for the TB response, working in close collaboration with all stakeholders until we reach and save every person, family and community impacted by this deadly disease.”