At the turn of the last century when KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation was created, almost 30 Dutch people were dying every day from TB. TB was the primary cause of death in the Netherlands with little remedy available until after the second World War. Improving housing standards and living conditions had started to lead to a slow decline in TB patients, until the mid-50s, when new drugs and treatment were introduced. Within five years, this led to a of 60% decline in the TB mortality rate.
With globally recognized TB treatment, care and research efforts which KNCV now exports to other countries, fewer than 10 people die per year from TB in The Netherlands. The Netherlands has one of the lowest TB case rates in the world thanks to KNCV efforts. The Netherlands has 5 TB cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Most of these TB cases are among foreign-born individuals and older Dutch people. The Netherlands is one of the very few countries that is the closest to achieving TB elimination. As a result of our success, we have shared and adapted our TB elimination methods for other countries.