Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health and Abt Associates, is launching TB Free Uzbekistan, a five-year initiative that is investing US$18 million to provide comprehensive support services and increase access to key tuberculosis (TB) services across the country.

Uzbekistan is dealing with high rates of multidrug-resistant TB which poses a significant threat to Uzbekistan’s public health system and the country’s health and economic development. Uzbekistan is making steady progress, but TB remains one of its most pressing public health threats. According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health, in 2022, eight percent of new TB cases in the country had resistance to two of the most commonly used and effective treatment drugs.

USAID leads the U.S. Government’s global TB efforts and has been a proud partner of the Government of Uzbekistan in the fight against TB. USAID’s Global TB Strategy 2023-2030 aims to achieve our shared vision of a TB-free world.  As the world’s largest bilateral donor, USAID uses new innovations and research to accelerate efforts to End TB

USAID had a robust presence surrounding the United Nations high-level meeting on TB on 22 September  2023. USAID’s Assistant Administrator for Global Health, Atul Gawande participated in multiple TB events, culminating with the high-level meeting at which he launched the Global Accelerator to End TB Plus, an enhanced package of interventions that will accelerate the development of strategies to achieve a more accountable, responsible, and inclusive TB response.