Alisha Wainwright

To get a broader perspective on the situation around the world, we spoke to Professor Nazir Ismail.

He's the head of clinical microbiology and infectious disease at Wits University in South Africa.

He told us more about the positive steps in recent years, as well as problems that lie ahead.

How much do we know about the emerging resistance to newer drug regimens and what are the gaps in our knowledge?

but what are some of the key interventions or policies that could stop the spread of drug-resistant TB?

So what's the current state of research into vaccines for TB?

I'm thinking sometimes that, you know, all these years of research, sometimes it's just half the battle because then you actually have to logistically get the drug to the people who need it, educate the people who need it, give it to them.

And then hopefully, and once you get it in mass, you can see the positive benefits.

So it's so much effort and work and still you're just one step forward in the long road ahead to, you know,

inoculating an entire community.

There's one issue underpinning this whole conversation.

The challenges of fighting TB on the ground in under-resourced settings.

The burden of this disease falls disproportionately on countries in the global south.

And recent foreign aid cuts have made headlines, but they also make real problems and difficult choices for people working on the ground.

So is the progress against TB at risk?

And how do you deal with infectious disease while there's also a funding gap?

And in this situation, what is the role of researchers and scientists?

These are the questions that came up in our conversations with Endy and Mazir.

And here are some of their thoughts.

Hmm.