Examining global funding to fight tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, or TB, is the world’s second-deadliest infectious disease and killed 1.3 million people in 2017, according to the CDC. While its bacteria are easily transmitted through the air, the disease can be readily treated and cured. Yet much of the world lacks sufficient treatment.  

In 2014, journalist David Rochkind and I set out to tackle the question of why, and we received a grant from the Pulitzer Center to do so.

We found that in the developing world, there simply wasn't enough money to effectively fight the disease. According to the WHO, an additional $1.6 billion a year was needed globally, and the organization called the gap a “powder keg” that could make future costs of treating TB skyrocket. 

We produced the following feature for Al Jazeera America:

Read the full print story for Al Jazeera America here. Find the full Pulitzer Center project here.