Global health governance and the end TB strategy: An optimistic post 2015 development agenda

Tuberculosis (TB) is second only to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide due to a single infectious agent. As per 2013 statistics, 9 million people fell ill with TB and 1.5 million died from the disease. Over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and it is among the top 5 causes of death for women aged 15 to 44. According to WHO, the largest number of new TB cases is contributed by the South-East Asia region with highest number of cases globally. 1 However, Africa carried the greatest proportion of new cases per population with 280 cases per 100 000 population in 2013. Definitely, TB is a leading killer of HIV-positive people causing one fourth of all HIV-related deaths. Apart from that globally in 2013, an estimated 480 000 people developed multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB). 2 Around 2.5 million people become infected with HIV each year. This extraordinary toll on human life and public health worldwide will only be reversed with effective prevention