On World TB Day 2026, the World Health Organization called on countries to accelerate efforts to end tuberculosis by expanding access to life-saving services and adopting new diagnostic innovations that can bring testing closer to patients. WHO emphasized that faster and more accessible diagnosis is essential to controlling one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. As part of this push, the organization introduced new recommendations for portable diagnostic tools that can be used near the point of care, making it easier for people to be tested in the places where they usually seek healthcare rather than relying only on centralized laboratories.
WHO’s new guidelines highlight simple and portable TB diagnostic tests that can operate on battery power, deliver results in less than an hour, and cost less than half as much as many existing molecular diagnostic tools. By reducing costs and enabling faster results, these tests can help countries expand access to TB diagnosis and start treatment much sooner. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described these tools as potentially transformative because they can bring fast and accurate diagnosis closer to communities, save lives, reduce transmission, and lower costs. He urged all countries to rapidly scale up access to these tools so that every person with TB can be diagnosed and treated without delay.
Beyond tuberculosis, WHO noted that these diagnostic devices could also be used to test for other diseases such as HIV, mpox, and HPV. This broader potential makes them especially valuable for building more patient-centered and integrated healthcare services, where multiple diseases can be tested and managed through a more efficient one-stop approach. Such multi-use capability could strengthen health systems while also making diagnostics more equitable and accessible in resource-limited settings.
The updated guidelines also recommend new and easier sample collection methods to expand TB testing. Among these is the use of tongue swab samples, which can be collected more easily than sputum and offer a new option for adults and adolescents who are unable to produce sputum for conventional testing. This is particularly important for people at higher risk of severe disease or death from TB, as it opens up access to diagnosis for groups that have previously been harder to test. WHO also endorsed a sputum pooling strategy, in which samples from multiple individuals are combined and tested together. This approach can significantly reduce testing costs and machine time, making it especially useful in settings where resources are limited and helping TB programmes reach more people more efficiently.
WHO warned that despite decades of progress, global gains against TB remain at risk without faster and wider access to diagnosis. Tuberculosis continues to be one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers, with more than 3,300 deaths and over 29,000 new illnesses reported every day. Since 2000, global efforts have saved an estimated 83 million lives, but the organization cautioned that cuts in global health funding could undermine these achievements. The slow uptake of rapid diagnostic tools in many countries has been driven in part by high costs and the need to transport samples to centralized laboratories, which can delay diagnosis and treatment and allow transmission to continue.
WHO stressed that scaling up proven solutions across all levels of the health system is critical to closing the remaining diagnostic gaps. This includes expanding the use of point-of-care urine tests for people living with HIV, as well as low- and moderate-complexity near-point-of-care tests for people both with and without HIV. Together, these tools can improve access to TB and drug-resistance testing, reduce delays in treatment initiation, and help prevent further spread of the disease. Faster diagnosis and treatment are seen as essential for reaching global targets on universal TB testing and care.
Under the World TB Day 2026 theme, “Yes! We can end TB: Led by countries, powered by people,” WHO called for urgent action to roll out near-point-of-care diagnostic technologies and other innovations as part of a comprehensive testing network. The organization also emphasized the need to strengthen people-centered TB care with meaningful community leadership, build resilient health systems that protect health security, address the social and economic drivers of TB through coordinated action across sectors, and protect essential TB services during global crises and funding shortages. WHO’s tuberculosis programme leadership stressed that investing in TB is both a political and economic priority, noting that every dollar invested can generate significant health and economic returns.
At the same time, WHO made clear that new diagnostic tools alone will not be enough to end TB. The organization said sustained investment in research and innovation remains essential, particularly because global funding for TB research is still far below the estimated annual need of around US$ 5 billion. This shortfall continues to slow the development of better diagnostics, new medicines, and effective vaccines that are necessary to eliminate the disease. To help accelerate progress, WHO is working with partners through initiatives such as the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council, which aims to speed up the development of new TB vaccines and ensure equitable access by coordinating efforts among governments, researchers, funders, and industry.
As countries observe World TB Day 2026, WHO is urging governments and partners to treat tuberculosis as a central priority within health security and universal health coverage efforts. By combining rapid implementation of new diagnostic recommendations with stronger investment, leadership, and community-driven action, the organization believes the world can make faster progress toward ending TB and protecting millions of lives.
