Areas of work

Surveillance and monitoring of tuberculosis (TB) data provide the evidence base for the action of national TB programme managers, WHO and other stakeholders.

Timely and accurate laboratory diagnostic services are crucial for detecting TB and providing patients with appropriate treatment. WHO/Europe coordinates technical assistance in ensuring early diagnosis of TB and universal drug-susceptibility testing, including the use of recommended rapid molecular techniques.

This initiative to advance tuberculosis (TB)-related research in the WHO European Region is part of the Regional Office’s action on research and innovation, a key area of intervention to end the TB epidemic.

Community engagement and advocacy help improve TB programmes and services and support mobilization to end TB.

People living with TB often suffer from stigmatization and discrimination that seriously limit their access to effective TB prevention and treatment. Respecting ethics and human rights in delivering such services is a special challenge in the WHO European Region, where levels of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) are highest.

Tuberculosis (TB) can affect anyone, but mostly affects disadvantaged people because its risk factors are related to social determinants of health. Risk factors for TB include the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life.