Five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — together with the WHO Regional Office for Europe, have launched the TB-Free Central Asia initiative. The initiative aims to provide a platform for collaboration and strategic guidance to these countries to accelerate efforts to end tuberculosis (TB) by 2030.
The official launch took place on 7 April 2025 in Astana. The health ministers of the participating countries signed a declaration confirming their commitment to intensify the fight against TB, strengthen intercountry cooperation, and introduce innovative approaches to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the disease.
The initiative supports the goals of the UN Political Declaration on Tuberculosis, as well as the WHO Action Plan to Stop TB in the European Region. The document highlights that over the past decade, the countries have made significant progress — expanding access to diagnostics, introducing shorter and more effective treatment regimens, and strengthening surveillance systems.
However, challenges remain: more than 34,000 TB cases and nearly 8,000 DR-TB cases are reported in the region each year. Four out of the five countries are among those with the highest burden of DR-TB globally.
As part of the initiative, countries have agreed to focus on three key areas:
• Strengthening primary health care and community engagement in TB care
• Implementing innovation and digital technologies
• Enhancing cross-border collaboration and surveillance
Read more here – Launch of TB-Free Central Asia initiative
