WHO: New TB Tests & Tongue Swabs to Accelerate Diagnosis & End TB by 2026
- The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to accelerate efforts to end tuberculosis (TB) by expanding access to new, faster and more affordable diagnostic tools.
- The new guidelines, issued by WHO, recommend diagnostic tests that can be used near the point of care, bringing TB diagnosis closer to where people seek medical attention.
- A key advancement is the recommendation of easy-to-collect tongue swab samples.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to accelerate efforts to end tuberculosis (TB) by expanding access to new, faster and more affordable diagnostic tools. These include near-point-of-care molecular tests and, for the first time, the use of tongue swabs for TB detection, particularly for individuals unable to produce sputum samples. The initiatives, announced on and around World TB Day 2026, aim to address persistent diagnostic gaps and ensure earlier treatment for those affected by the disease.
The new guidelines, issued by WHO, recommend diagnostic tests that can be used near the point of care, bringing TB diagnosis closer to where people seek medical attention. These portable, simple-to-use tests are available at less than half the cost of many existing molecular diagnostics and can deliver results in under an hour, allowing for quicker treatment initiation. “These new tools could be truly transformative for tuberculosis, by bringing fast, accurate diagnosis closer to people, saving lives, curbing transmission and reducing costs,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
Expanding Access to Testing with New Methods
A key advancement is the recommendation of easy-to-collect tongue swab samples. This method allows adults and adolescents who cannot produce sputum – a common barrier to diagnosis – to receive TB testing for the first time. This represents particularly important for individuals at higher risk of dying from TB due to delayed diagnosis. The WHO recommends a cost-saving sputum pooling strategy, where samples from multiple individuals are tested together, increasing testing efficiency, especially in resource-constrained settings.
Beyond TB, these new diagnostic devices have the potential to test for other diseases, including HIV, mpox, and HPV, potentially streamlining healthcare services and improving patient care. This versatility aligns with a move towards more patient-centered, equitable, and integrated healthcare systems.
Global Progress at Risk Without Faster Diagnosis
TB remains a significant global health threat, with over 3,300 people dying from the disease each day and more than 29,000 falling ill. While global efforts have saved an estimated 83 million lives since 2000, progress is being threatened by cuts in global health funding. Uptake of rapid diagnostic tools has been hampered by high costs and the need for sample transport to centralized laboratories.
The WHO emphasizes the importance of scaling up proven solutions, including point-of-care urine tests for people living with HIV and near-point-of-care tests for both HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals. These efforts are crucial for achieving universal access to TB and drug resistance testing, reducing treatment delays, and curbing transmission.
World TB Day 2026: A Call to Action
Under the theme “Yes! We can end TB: Led by countries, powered by people,” the WHO is calling for urgent action in five key areas:
- Accelerating the rollout of near-point-of-care diagnostic technologies and other innovations as part of a comprehensive testing network.
- Strengthening people-centered TB care with meaningful community leadership and continuous engagement.
- Building resilient health systems to safeguard health security.
- Tackling the social and economic drivers of TB through multisectoral action.
- Protecting essential TB services amid global crises and funding constraints.
“Investing in TB is a strategic political and economic choice, generating up to US$ 43 in health and economic returns for every dollar spent,” said Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Department for HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections. “What is required now is decisive leadership, strategic investment and rapid implementation of WHO recommendations and innovations to save lives and protect communities.”
The Need for Continued Research and Innovation
While these new diagnostic tools represent a significant step forward, the WHO stresses that ending TB requires sustained investment in research, and innovation. Global funding for TB research remains significantly below the estimated annual need of around US$ 5 billion, creating gaps in the development of new diagnostics, medicines, and vaccines.
The WHO is collaborating with partners through initiatives like the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council to fast-track the development and equitable access to new TB vaccines by aligning governments, researchers, funders, and industry around shared priorities and coordinated investment.
As countries mark World TB Day 2026, the WHO urges governments and partners to prioritize TB as a central pillar of health security and universal health coverage.