Tuberculosis (TB) remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, despite being curable. In 2023, an estimated 1.3 million children and young adolescents fell ill with TB, accounting for 12% of all TB cases. Half of these children and young adolescents are not diagnosed and therefore do not receive lifesaving treatment.
In 2023, MSF launched the TACTiC project – Test, Avoid, Cure Tuberculosis in Children – to reduce deaths from tuberculosis in children, by increasing the number of children put on treatment and preventive treatment. The project covers 12 countries with a high burden of TB and where MSF provides TB care for children: Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda.
MSF has also been calling on countries and funders to support the updation and implementation of pediatric tuberculosis policies and guidelines in line with WHO recommendations.
