Federal Government Commits 17 Million to Fight Tuberculosis in Asia-Pacific

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bacteria. Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

Australia’s federal government has announced it will invest $17 million towards helping curb the spread of tuberculosis in Asia and the Pacific—a disease estimated to kill one person globally every 20 seconds.

The Global Alliance for Tuberculosis (TB) is a conglomerate of national health agencies and technology funds, which include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and is tasked with reversing deaths caused by the bacterial infection that most often affects the lungs.

The disease is particularly prevalent in Asia and the Pacific where many communities have limited access to healthcare facilities, and socioeconomic factors like poverty, overcrowding, co-infection and malnutrition facilitate the spread of TB.

Indonesia has one of the highest TB burdens globally, with an estimated incidence rate of 361 cases per 100,000 people in 2020, while the Philippines has an estimated incidence rate of 554 cases per 100,000.

In Australia around 1,500 infections are recorded each year, and since May 2022, tuberculosis has been present in some of South Australia’s Aboriginal communities necessitating a coordinated public health response to facilitate testing and treatment. 

While deaths from TB rose during COVID-19, an increase in diagnosis post-pandemic has seen more people seek treatment in Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Timor-Leste, and Cambodia, but that treatment is being complicated by the rise of drug-resistant variants.

Despite greater diagnosis, funding for fighting TB is currently at around half of what it was before 2019. 

A female laboratory assistant with a pair of mice that had been injected with an extract of tuberculosis as part of research to find an immunising agent for the disease in New York, in 1949. FPG/Getty Images

Health Groups Call for More Funding

Speaking on the government’s investment, the Global Poverty Action Results International Group CEO Negaya Chorley said increased funding was key.

“The progress made in Asia and the Pacific in just one year proves that dedicated resources and funding, including from Australia, is paying off. The investments and efforts made today will dictate whether TB can end by 2030, meeting this goal is within reach, and the governments of today, including Australia, can be part of this history-making feat,” Ms. Chorley said.

The federal announcement was timed to coincide with World Tuberculosis Day which is held every year on March 24.

On the same date in 1882, Dr. Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes TB. Cities around the world are now invited via the hashtag #LightupforTB to illuminate a local landmark in red to raise awareness.

Results International said a return of $40 for every dollar invested in TB drug development will be forthcoming by 2050.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on March 24 that along with curbing infection rates, the new funding showed the government’s commitment to improving lives in impoverished countries.

“Improving the health and well-being of communities in Southeast Asia and the Pacific is central to supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous region,” Ms Wong said.