Taking Stock on World Tuberculosis Day 2026

How You Can Help Make a Difference on World TB Day and Beyond | By Kelly McGilvery

The World Health Organization designates March 24, 2026 as World Tuberculosis Day. It’s a great time to pause and recognize the progress made in fighting Tuberculosis (TB) over the past year.

The most recent numbers we have available regarding diagnoses and treatment data are from 2024. 10.7 million people fell ill with tuberculosis in 2024, and 1.23 million people died of tuberculosis that year. Even in a challenging geopolitical environment, ending tuberculosis is still a viable and achievable goal for the multinational coalition that collaborates each day to diagnose and treat those with tuberculosis, according to the WHO.

Coffee, Tea, And You

All of the proceeds from Keats & Co coffee and tea are donated to Partners In Health to support treatment for patients with tuberculosis in Lesotho. This regular infusion of funding helps to maintain ongoing treatment for those with tuberculosis, when a missed treatment can mean a disruption in healing from drug resistance or prolonged illness. Helping close the gap for tuberculosis can be as easy as enjoying your morning cup of coffee or tea.

Read All About It

Good Store's co-founder, John Green has written at length about tuberculosis - 208 pages, specifically - in Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection. This book follows the story of Henry Reider, whom John met at a Sierra Leone TB clinic in 2019, as he navigates his treatment. Along the way, John shares more of the social and scientific history and context about how TB, both curable and preventable, came to be the world’s deadliest disease. in his book, you'll learn about the structural inequities that create barriers to funding and treatment.

Choose Your TBFighters 

TBFighters is a community of Nerdfighters and global health activists committed to fighting the structural causes of TB. They organize and advocate for increased funding for tuberculosis testing and treatment. Their website is a great resource for those interested in learning more about TB, the parties and forces mobilized to eradicate it, and ways to get involved with existing advocacy efforts. 

TBFighters has a Book Club that reads a new book about tuberculosis every two months and offers Advocacy Sessions for people who want to learn more about calls to action and meet others involved in the group. You can also support the group by subscribing to its newsletter or buying TBFighters merch.

Recently, a group of TBFighters visited Capitol Hill, meeting with legislators to advocate continued support for TB funding. They have a current call-to-action for those willing to contact their Representatives and Senators.

And as a small treat: Resident Keats & Co Unpaid Intern and TBFighter John Green will honor World TB Day by reading his favorite John Keats poem, Ode on a Grecian Urn, and talking a bit about why he loves it so much. This video will be shared exclusively with everyone actively subscribed to Keats & Co on World TB Day.

Looking Back to Look Forward

Once a year, we can stop to recognize the continued progress being made to eradicate tuberculosis and consider how we’re making a stand against the disease and the structural inequities that it throws into focus. From contacting a legislator, reading a book, or brewing a cup of coffee or tea, there’s a simple way to make a step in the direction of progress.