Tuberculosis is an ancient bacterial infection and a leading killer of people, both historically and today. For a while, Covid-19 was the leading infectious killer, but in 2023, TB regained the #1 spot among leading infectious killers.
In 2023, an estimated 10.8 million people fell ill with TB worldwide, and 1.25 million people died of TB. Globally, an estimated 400 000 people developed multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant TB.
Despite being a treatable bacterial infection, TB continues to take a heavy toll on people, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Eight countries accounted for more than two thirds of the global total: India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Despite the devastating toll of TB, this disease gets little attention. Many think TB is a disease of the past. Some think TB only impacts the poor. Others simply do not understand that TB is an airborne infection, just like Covid-19. Either way, most governments in the Global South do not care enough to invest in treatments and tools that we already have. As John Green put it, "We know how to live in a world without tuberculosis. But we choose not to live in that world."
Thankfully, four new books, all published within the past 4 years, are doing a lot to raise awareness about TB, and bring some fresh advocacy and insight to fight this infection that thrives on inequities. All the books center on people struggling with TB, or people working hard to serve such people.
The books are:
Stigmatized: This book, published in 2021, is a memoir by Handaa Enkh-Amgalan, a Mongolian woman who was diagnosed with TB. The book chronicles her struggles with the disease, the stigma and social prejudice that often accompanies the disease, and her path to reclaiming her identify and agency. Today, Handaa is a powerful advocate for TB, and a member of the World Health Organization's Civil Society Task Force.
Phantom Plague: This book, published in 2022, is by Vidya Krishnan, a health and science journalist from India. Phantom Plague traces the history of TB, and connects that story to the ongoing impact it is having in India, the country with the highest number of people with TB. While India has the resources to fight TB, too many people are still being left behind. Her books explains why.
The Black Angels: This book, published in 2023, is by Maria Smilios, an American author. Spanning the Great Depression and moving through World War II and beyond, this book is about the intrepid young women, the “Black Angels,” who, for twenty years, risked their lives working under dreadful conditions while caring for New York city’s poorest in a sanatorium. Yet despite their heroic work, these nurses were completely erased from history.
Everything is TB: This book, being published in March 2025, is by John Green, a best-selling author of books including The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down. The book is about the history of TB, and how it continues to devastate lives even today. Green dives deep into the structural inequities that allow TB to kill millions even today. He asks 'why is the disease where the cure is not, and why is the cure where the disease is not?'
In the end, all the books clearly show us that TB thrives on racism, prejudice, poverty, and injustice. If we want to end TB, we can. We are choosing not to.
Everyone working on TB owes a debt of gratitude to Handaa, Vidya, Maria and John for breathing new life into TB advocacy, for their courage and commitment, and their passion for translating their words into action that can save lives.