Pakistan, March 21 -- An important and unprecedented development on TB control in recent times was the first-ever high level United Nations General Assembly meeting on tuberculosis held in September 2017 where world leaders pledged to increase overall global investments for ending TB at least $13 billion annually by 2022 and seek $2 billion for closing the estimated $1.3 billion annual funding gap in tuberculosis research. They committed to mobilise sufficient and sustainable financing from all sources for universal access to quality prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care and end the global tuberculosis epidemic by 2030.

The meeting attended by 15 heads of state as 193 UN member states recognised the enormity of the challenge posed by...