Every year, on 24 March, the global health community marks World Tuberculosis Day, raising awareness about one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases and reinforcing the commitment to end tuberculosis (TB). The 2026 theme, “Yes! We can end TB!”, highlights the urgent need for renewed political commitment, sustained investment in research and innovation, and strengthened public health responses worldwide.
A global health challenge that persists in the face of progress
Despite being preventable and curable, TB remains a major global health challenge. According to the latest estimates from the World Health Organization, around 10.7 million people developed TB in 2024, including 5.8 million men, 3.7 million women and 1.2 million children. In the same year, the disease caused approximately 1.23 million deaths worldwide, making it the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent globally.
Although progress has been made over recent decades, the pace of decline in TB incidence remains insufficient to meet international targets for elimination. TB continues to disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, where social and economic determinants, limited access to healthcare, and co-infections such as HIV contribute to persistent transmission.
In Portugal, the overall burden of TB has declined significantly over the past decades, reflecting improvements in public health measures, diagnosis, and treatment. However, the disease remains a relevant public health concern. In 2023, 1,584 TB cases were reported, corresponding to a notification rate of 14.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Most cases occur in men, and higher incidence continues to be observed in the Lisboa and Vale do Tejo and Northern regions.
GHTM’s role in advancing Tuberculosis research and innovation
The Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM) R&D Unit from Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (IHMT NOVA), contributes to the global fight against TB through multidisciplinary research, training, and international collaboration. Researchers at GHTM – Miguel Viveiros, Diana Machado, Liliana Rodrigues, David Pires, and Jorge Ramos (THOP-GHTM Research Groups) – are involved in studies on TB epidemiology, diagnostics, treatment, co-infections, and the social and environmental determinants of transmission. GHTM projects developed so far include:
- iCHEMGENODRUGS TB – Developing chemogenomics and in silico repurposing strategies for rapid TB drug discovery;
- IonPharma4TB – Developing active pharmaceutical ionic liquids (TB-ILs) as a novel platform for effective TB treatment;
- MtbEPis – Targeting efflux pumps in drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis to prevent resistance and enhance therapy for active and latent TB;
- Targtub – Designing potent new isoniazid derivatives to tackle multi-resistant TB through an integrated medicinal chemistry approach;
- ByDrug – Exploring immunotargeting of efflux systems to modulate multidrug-resistant bacteria therapeutically.
These projects exemplify GHTM’s commitment to translational research, aiming to accelerate the discovery of new TB treatments, optimize existing therapies, and strengthen global laboratory and surveillance capacity.
Miguel Viveiros, the GHTM’s Scientific Coordinator and a leading expert in the field, emphasised the vital contribution of GHTM researchers to the fight against tuberculosis in Portugal and around the globe. GHTM teams have characterised hundreds of cases of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, identifying resistance mutations across multiple antibiotic targets. These findings have contributed to the development of the WHO catalogue of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistance mutations. GHTM researchers also played a key role in the identification of the transmission chain of the highly virulent and resistant “Lisboa strain”, which has since become a global reference in M/XDR-TB research. This work cements the GHTM’s position at the forefront of international tuberculosis research and public health.
In the scope of World TB Day, Miguel Viveiros also published an opinion article in Healthnews, reflecting on why tuberculosis remains difficult to eliminate, highlighting the roles of social and economic determinants, delayed diagnosis, healthcare access gaps, and the need for stronger public health strategies, innovation, and sustained global commitment.
On this World TB Day, GHTM | IHMT NOVA reaffirms its commitment to advancing knowledge, strengthening global partnerships, and supporting evidence-based strategies to accelerate progress towards TB elimination. Achieving the goal of ending tuberculosis requires coordinated efforts across science, policy, and society.
The message of 2026 is clear: with sustained commitment, collaboration, and innovation, ending TB is within reach. Yes, we can end TB.
