Even though tuberculosis (TB) is preventable and curable, it is the top infectious killer worldwide, claiming around 4400 lives a day. TB also remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV, causing one in three AIDS-related deaths. However, progress has been made―TB-related deaths among people living with HIV peaked in 2005, at 600 000 deaths; since then, they have halved, to 300 000 in 2017.
Countries pledged in the 2016 United Nations Political Declaration on Ending AIDS to reduce TB deaths among people living with HIV by 75% by 2020. By 2017, five low- or middle-income countries had achieved or exceeded that target―a further 18 countries reduced TB deaths among people living with HIV by more than 50% and are on track to achieve the target by the end of 2020, provided that scale-up of services is maintained. However, the estimates also show that most countries are not on track and that deaths are rising in some regions and countries.
