WHO backs near-point-of-care TB tests and tongue swabs to speed diagnosis
WHO endorses portable, near-point-of-care TB tests that are battery-powered and deliver results in under an hour, plus tongue-swab sampling and sputum pooling to expand testing, cut costs, and start treatment sooner; the guidance, released for World TB Day 2026, calls for urgent scale-up and sustained investment as funding gaps threaten progress, with potential benefits for testing other diseases as well.