79th WHA Individual Statements
The WHO Global Alcohol Status Report addresses tuberculosis: alcohol is a major, causal driver of tuberculosis, tripling TB risk and undermining treatment outcomes.
Yet neither the current End TB Strategy nor the Secretariat’s report adequately address alcohol’s contribution to the TB burden or the proven potential of alcohol policy to prevent TB incidence and deaths. This creates a serious inconsistency between WHO’s own evidence and normative guidance for WHO and member states. actions to end TB.
Movendi International calls for the inclusion of alcohol as a TB risk factor in the post-2030 TB strategy. Integrating alcohol screening as standard TB care, embedding alcohol policy best buys, and utilizing alcohol taxation for financing TB prevention and treatment will raise the impact of the future TB strategy.