The proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) appear to be an improvement, or at least a thoughtful reaction, to some persistent criticisms of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Among these criticisms was the relegation of TB to a non-enumerated “other disease” alongside mention of HIV/AIDS and malaria in MDG6.

To the extent that the MDGs were meant to “shape a broad vision to fight poverty in its many dimensions,” it seemed odd, to say the least, that the foremost disease of poverty—affecting 9 million people a year and resulting in 1.5 million deaths—was left out.¹ In addition, the two MDGs that focused specifically on health took a decidedly vertical approach, with MDG5 focusing on maternal health and MDG6 on combating particular diseases. This criticism is old news now, but it’s worth mentioning because Goal 3 of the proposed SDGs takes a very different, more horizontal approach to health promotion; it calls for ensuring “healthy lives” and promoting “well-being for all.”²

What does this mean for TB’s place in the global development agenda? On one view, we might say that TB was neglected in the agenda even during the bad old days when vertical disease-specific approaches reigned supreme, as highlighted by its exclusion from MDG6. But let’s not get mired in the past. SDG 3.3 specifically mentions TB alongside HIV/AIDS and malaria. While this may not be cause for celebration, I think we can call it an upgrade. And to be fair, the UN has consistently highlighted progress made in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of TB as central to the realization of MDG6.

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