The Future of Tuberculosis Control: The Role of Policy in Eradicating TB

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities (20). While there are global policy efforts in action, progress has been slow. Organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) have introduced strategies such as the End TB Strategy, which aims to work towards a world free of TB by improving healthcare access, expanding preventive treatments, and addressing social factors like poverty and inadequate housing (21, 26). However, funding gaps persist, new treatments remain inaccessible in many regions, and the underlying conditions that fuel TB transmission are not being addressed at the scale needed (22, 26).

Researchers and advocates have spoken out about these issues, pushing for greater investment in TB vaccine development, faster diagnostic tools, and stronger policy interventions. However, with many large pharmaceutical companies believing that research in TB is less than profitable, progress in TB research is difficult (16, 26).

In Canada, TB continues to disproportionately affect indigenous populations (23). And yet, there are few national or provincial policies that address the issue. British Columbia is the only province to implement Indigenous Health Liaisons to help indigenous patients navigate the healthcare system, despite indigenous populations across the entire nation seeing higher than average TB risk and incidence (24). No other provinces have followed suit, leaving many Indigenous communities without the culturally safe healthcare they need. Without a coordinated national strategy to expand programs like these and improve healthcare access, indigenous populations in Canada will continue to bear the burden of a disease that could be preventable and treatable (23, 24).