Beloved author, YouTuber, and global health advocate John Green has announced a significant contribution in the fight against tuberculosis, the world’s deadliest disease. Green’s commitment involves an annual donation of $1 million to support the battle against TB, a disease that still claims 1.6 million lives each year due to inequalities in access to diagnostics, treatment, and care.

Expressing his determination to combat this disease, Green emphasized the need to challenge the acceptance of a world where so many people die from a curable illness. His involvement has spurred government agencies and public health advocates to invest over $100 million in a new project aimed at providing comprehensive TB care in Ethiopia and the Philippines over the next four years.

Notably, the Philippines, which ranks fourth in the global TB burden, will receive an annual $1 million pledge from Green and his family. This funding, combined with contributions from the Ministry of Health in the Philippines and USAID, will total $22 million per year to support various initiatives such as X-Ray machines, medications, GeneXpert tests, and the training and employment of community health workers, nurses, and doctors.

Green’s efforts have also led to the formation of a group of professionals known as TB Warriors, who will be responsible for implementing the Search, Treat & Prevent Strategy. This approach involves screening for TB, identifying cases, providing curative treatment, and offering preventative therapy.

Green’s dedicated supporters, known as Nerdfighters, have been instrumental in advocating for an end to TB. Their community organizing, informed by established groups such as the Stop TB Partnership and Doctors Without Borders, has played a crucial role in enabling substantial contributions from major corporations like Johnson & Johnson.