Global tuberculosis rates fell about 2 percent in 2024 from the previous year, according to a World Health Organization report, after rising for three consecutive years due to COVID-related disruptions to diagnosis and treatment of the infectious disease.

Most indicators of the disease burden were moving in the right direction after setbacks during the pandemic, but progress still fell short of 2030 targets, the agency said.

"Funding cuts to international aid in many low and middle income countries threaten to reverse the hard won gains," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

WHO adopted the "End TB Strategy" in 2014 and 2015 that included targets for 2020, 2025, 2030 and 2035 to sharply cut tuberculosis incidence, deaths and patient costs.

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In 2024, 1.23 million people died from TB, a fall of 29 percent from 2015. The health agency said this was far from its goals of a 75 percent reduction by 2025 and a 90 percent lowering by 2030.