WHO urges faster, country-led TB action in Western Pacific amid rising cases and funding gaps.

The WHO is urging faster, country-led action to combat tuberculosis in the Western Pacific, where 2.9 million people were affected in 2024. On World TB Day 2026, the agency stressed decentralizing services, expanding access to rapid diagnostics, and integrating TB care into primary health systems to improve early detection and reduce transmission. It called for urgent deployment of near-point-of-care molecular tests and shorter all-oral treatments, while highlighting that stagnant funding, risk factors like diabetes and smoking, and competing health priorities threaten progress. WHO emphasized that every dollar invested in TB control yields up to $43 in returns. In Papua New Guinea, TB cases are rising sharply, with over 100 new cases reported in Lae in early 2026.