China has achieved remarkable progress in its battle against tuberculosis (TB) over the past decade, with both incidence and mortality rates dropping by approximately 30%, health authorities announced on Thursday.
At a press conference held by the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, officials highlighted that China’s annual decline in TB incidence is twice the global average. The treatment success rate remains above 90%, and mortality has been sustained at a low level.
“We will continue to prioritize TB prevention and control,” said Liu Qing, deputy director of the administration’s Department of Infectious Disease Control. “Our focus will be on enhancing collaboration between disease control agencies, medical institutions, and grassroots healthcare providers.”
The administration plans to expand proactive screenings to curb transmission, standardize patient treatment protocols, and strengthen financial support policies to alleviate the economic burden on patients.
This announcement comes in the wake of World Tuberculosis Day, marked annually on March 24 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to rally global action against the disease. In its latest Global Tuberculosis Report, the WHO noted that TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, with millions of new cases and deaths each year.
Despite the progress, challenges remain. Funding for TB services has declined sharply in recent years, falling short of global targets. Health experts emphasize the need for sustained investment and international cooperation to eliminate TB worldwide.
