Changing Epidemiology of Tuberculosis and Actions Taken in the World and Türkiye

Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne, contagious illness caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can affect all tissues and organs, primarily the lungs. Tuberculosis remains a significant public health problem worldwide, with 10 million people contracting the disease and 1.5 million deaths annually. It is the second most common cause of death from communicable diseases globally, following Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). To combat tuberculosis globally, the Global Tuberculosis Program is carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO began the Directly Observed Treatment Strategy in 1995, the Stop Tuberculosis Strategy in 2006, and the End Tuberculosis Strategy in 2015. The End Tuberculosis Strategy aims to end the global tuberculosis epidemic by 2035. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, global tuberculosis goals were missed or off-target. The fight against TB requires continuity. The National Tuberculosis Control Program, which includes the End Tuberculosis Strategy, has been implemented successfully for many years in alignment with global targets in Turkiye. In this article, the changing epidemiology of TB in the world and Turkiye is evaluated, and control activities carried out within the scope of combating TB are included. Keywords: Epidemiology, global health, National Health Programs, tuberculosis, Turkiye.