Tuberculosis and Infection Prevention: What IPC Professionals Need to Know for World TB DAY 2026

March 24, 2026, marks World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, a critical reminder of TB's ongoing threat to health care settings and communities worldwide. As infection prevention and control (IPC) professionals navigate an increasingly complex landscape of infectious disease prevention, understanding tuberculosis epidemiology, transmission pathways, and new diagnostic innovations is essential.

The Current TB Burden and Health Care Impact

Each year, 10.7 million people fall ill with tuberculosis, with 1.23 million dying from the disease. For IPC professionals working in health care settings, tuberculosis represents a persistent occupational health hazard and a significant patient safety concern. TB transmission in hospitals can occur through respiratory droplet nuclei, making proper respiratory protection and isolation protocols fundamental to IPC practice.

"Tuberculosis has been on the rise in the US and globally for several years, driven by drug resistance, immunosuppressive conditions, and global travel,” Shahbaz Salehi, MD, MPH, MSHIA, director of IPC at Foothill Regional Medical Center, Tustin, California, and a member of the editorial advisory board (EAB) for Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®). “Limited access to care, inadequate treatment options, and strained public health resources, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, along with reduced government funding worldwide, have only fueled this concerning trend."

The global TB burden disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including immunocompromised patients, individuals in low-income settings, and health care workers themselves. In some regions, 2 in 3 TB cases occur in Black communities, while 3 in 4 cases involve foreign-born populations. IPC professionals must understand these demographics to implement culturally sensitive, equitable screening and prevention strategies.

World TB Day 2026 Theme and Healthcare Implications

This year's theme, "Yes! We Can End TB," affirms that it is possible to turn the tide on the TB epidemic through decisive country leadership, increased investment, rapid uptake of new WHO recommendations and innovations, and strong multisectoral collaboration. "TB is curable and preventable, but only if we act early," Sherrie Busby, EDDA, CDSO, CDIPC, dental assistant trainer and coach, and a member of ICT’s EAB, said.

For IPC professionals, this theme underscores the critical role health care workers play in TB elimination. Your work in surveillance, infection control practices, and patient education directly impacts transmission rates and treatment outcomes.

Worldwide, IPC health care workers face.

Shazia Irum, MBA, MSc, RN, CIC, CPHQ, FAPIC, an infection preventionist (IP) in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, CBIC ambassador, and another member of ICT’s EAB wrote, “TB remains one of the world’s leading infectious killers, despite being entirely preventable and curable, highlighting critical gaps in early detection, equitable access, and infection prevention. Ending TB requires precision in surveillance, rapid diagnosis, uninterrupted treatment, and uncompromising IPC practices. The science is clear; now is the time for decisive action to protect lives and halt transmission globally.”

Patient education is important and prevalent, but the social and political climate is resistant to medical preventative strategies. “Unfortunately, the current public health climate is facilitating the spread and lethality of TB,” Kevin Kavanagh, MD, board chairman at Health Watch USA, and another EAB member, wrote. “A culmination of antibiotic overuse, the public's aversion to airborne control measures, along with an increase in immune dysfunction in our population, has culminated in a worldwide resurgence of highly antibiotic-resistant TB.”

New Diagnostic Innovations IPC Professionals Should Know

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently recommended new near-point-of-care diagnostic tests that can operate on battery power and deliver results in less than 1 hour, costing less than half the price of many existing molecular diagnostics. These innovations have significant implications for IPC practice.

"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 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, WHO Director-General, as noted on the website. "WHO calls on all countries to scale up access to these and other tools so every person with TB can be reached and treated promptly."

Faster TB diagnosis reduces:

• Duration of patient infectivity in health care settings
• Risk of occupational exposure to health care workers
• Days required for respiratory isolation protocols
• Burden on infection control resources

IPC professionals should familiarize themselves with these new diagnostic capabilities being implemented in their healthcare systems. Coordination between microbiology, respiratory services, and infection prevention ensures optimal diagnostic utilization and patient management.

Key IPC Responsibilities in TB Control

IPC professionals must prioritize several TB-related activities:

1. Respiratory isolation protocols: Ensuring negative-pressure rooms and proper personal protective equipment for N95 masks and respirators
2. Staff screening and vaccination: Maintaining TB screening programs for health care workers and monitoring BCG vaccination status
3. Contact investigation: Identifying and managing TB exposure incidents in health care settings
4. Patient education: Supporting adherence to directly observed therapy and infection control measures
5. Surveillance: Tracking TB cases and health care-associated TB transmission

Ultimately, as Brenna Doran, PhD, MA, ACC, CIC, AL-CIP, said, “In the fight against TB, IPs define success by the transmissions prevented and the cases that never happen.”

Global Progress and Ongoing Challenges

Every dollar invested in TB generates up to USD 43 in economic and health returns, yet global funding for TB elimination remains threatened. As healthcare budgets become increasingly constrained, IPC professionals must advocate for adequate resources to support TB prevention and control.

“World TB Day calls us back to the fundamentals of early recognition, rapid response, protecting those at the frontlines of care, as well as our communities.” Priya Pandya-Orozco, DNP, RN, CIC, LTC-CIP, PHN, director of infection prevention and control for Santa Clara Valley Healthcare System, wrote. “Infection prevention is where we see science meets action, and where our commitment can truly change the trajectory of this disease.”

Moving Forward

World TB Day 2026 calls health care professionals to action. TB remains preventable and treatable yet continues to threaten vulnerable populations globally. IPC professionals are uniquely positioned to advance TB elimination through rigorous infection control practices, engagement with new diagnostic technologies, and advocacy for equitable access to testing and treatment.

It is a battle cry. Vangie Dennis, MSN, CMLSO, CNOR, FAORN, FAAN, another ICT EAB member and a healthcare consultant at Perioperative Consulting, LLC, wrote, “Every breath matters; unite to end TB!”

The question is not whether we can end tuberculosis, but whether we will invest the necessary resources and commitment. For IPC professionals, that commitment begins in the health care settings where we work every day.

Infection Control Today continues to monitor tuberculosis prevention strategies and new innovations affecting IPC practice.