Security debates often centre on armies, weapons, and cyber defences, but a major threat to peace and stability spreads silently: infectious diseases. HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria – exacerbated by underfunded health systems – cross borders, disrupt economies and endanger societies. This is not just a health issue but a direct threat to national and global security. Underfunding health leaves nations defenceless against one of the most dangerous enemies of our time.
Tuberculosis is one of the diseases the UK can’t afford to ignore. In England, rates of TB rose by 11 per cent in 2023 – the largest increase since national reporting began in 2000. This is especially concerning given that the spread of multidrug-resistant TB globally poses a major health security threat. This form of the disease is caused by bacteria which are resistant to at least two of the most effective anti-TB drugs. It is hard to treat, increases costs for health systems already under strain, and has high mortality rates. Antimicrobial Resistance caused 1.27 million deaths in 2019, one in three of these were due to drug-resistant TB. If left unchecked, TB and drug-resistant TB could spread globally and kill millions more.
For the UK, tackling infectious diseases like TB is not an act of generosity; it’s a matter of national interest. Cutting health funding amid rising conflict and humanitarian need would be a strategic mistake, weakening both our global standing and our domestic resilience.
Investment in science and innovation – new vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments – is vital for global health security and for strengthening international partnerships and diplomacy. The UK has been a leading funder of global health research and development, particularly for neglected diseases like malaria, HIV, and TB. From 1994 to 2022, UK-supported product development is projected to save 1.43 million lives and prevent 183 million disease cases.
That is why it is so vital that the UK shows leadership by maintaining its £1 billion contribution at the upcoming replenishment for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on 21 November. Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become one of the world’s most effective health security investments, saving 70 million lives worldwide, strengthening health systems, and supporting pandemic prevention efforts.
As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Tuberculosis, I have seen first-hand how these investments translate into tangible benefits for people both overseas and here in the UK. Every pound invested saves lives, protects people in this country, safeguards the NHS from the burden of untreatable infections, and strengthens Britain’s defences against future outbreaks.
In Ethiopia, the Fund has helped to train 40,000 community health workers who deliver preventive, maternal and child health services – including early detection and treatment for HIV, malaria and TB – directly in people’s homes. This type of initiative has resulted in incidence of TB, malaria, and HIV falling by 42 per cent in the countries where the Global Fund invests since 2002, and deaths falling by 63 per cent.
When conflict disrupted infrastructure and displaced millions in Ukraine, the Fund helped maintain essential health services — supporting mobile clinics, supplying testing equipment, and providing power generators to regional laboratories. These efforts have ensured that people continue to receive life-saving treatment for HIV and TB, preventing new outbreaks and preserving hard-won progress. This is not simply humanitarian assistance; it is a practical contribution to European stability and to the UK’s own health security.
That’s why I believe investing in global disease prevention is firmly in my constituents’ best interest. Global health security is national security. The time to act is now.
Sojan Joseph is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Tuberculosis and Labour MP for Ashford
This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project
