Abstract
One of the best kept secrets in global public health is how China achieved the tuberculosis (TB) targets in the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG) The MDG’s TB targets were to reduce the prevalence and mortality of TB by 50% between 1990 and 2015 By 2010, China had reduced its TB prevalence and mortality by 65% and 80%, (1−2) which meant China exceeded the MDG targets 5 years before the MDG deadline This impressive achievement helped China to move from a high to a medium TB-incidence country Today, China still has the world’s third highest number of new TB cases each year But when adjusted for population size, it has the lowest TB incidence per capita among the 30 high TB-burden countries (3) In 2015, the global community committed to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which included two new TB targets — reducing TB incidence and deaths by 80% and 90%, respectively, compared to their 2015 levels (3) World Health Organization (WHO) went further by setting the 2035 END TB targets of reducing TB incidence and deaths by 90% and 95%, respectively (3) WHO estimates that China’s TB incidence in 2015 was around 65 cases per 100,000 population (4) A 90% reduction would bring TB incidence to less than 7 cases per 100,000 population, a level seen in most high-income countries Achieving this will mean that China has eliminated TB as a major public health problem Although the SDG and END TB targets seem difficult to achieve, we can learn from how China achieved the MDG TB targets, which was made possible by China’s renewed commitment to control major infectious diseases following the 2003 SARS epidemic (5) Today, we are in similar situation China is once again impacted by the spread of another coronavirus The country has been strengthening its health system to be more responsive to both current and future pandemics Perhaps TB can once again benefit from the renewed focus on controlling infectious diseases This commentary will discuss how China can apply the lessons and approaches from its COVID-19 response to make progress toward eliminating TB as a major public health problem
Highlights
One of the best kept secrets in global public health is how China achieved the tuberculosis (TB) targets in the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
In 2015, the global community committed to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which included two new TB targets — reducing TB incidence and deaths by 80% and 90%, respectively, compared to their 2015 levels [3]
The SDG and END TB targets seem difficult to achieve, we can learn from how China achieved the MDG TB targets, which was made possible by China’s renewed commitment to control major infectious diseases following the 2003 SARS epidemic [5]
Summary
One of the best kept secrets in global public health is how China achieved the tuberculosis (TB) targets in the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG). By 2010, China had reduced its TB prevalence and mortality by 65% and 80%, (1−2) which meant China exceeded the MDG targets 5 years before the MDG deadline This impressive achievement helped China to move from a high to a medium TB-incidence country. A 90% reduction would bring TB incidence to less than 7 cases per 100,000 population, a level seen in most high-income countries Achieving this will mean that China has eliminated TB as a major public health problem. Perhaps TB can once again benefit from the renewed focus on controlling infectious diseases This commentary will discuss how China can apply the lessons and approaches from its COVID-19 response to make progress toward eliminating TB as a major public health problem
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