World TB Day is recognized on March 24 every year to educate the public about the impact of Tuberculosis around the world. This day commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis (TB).
Theme of World TB Day 2022 – ‘Invest to End TB. Save Lives’
The theme conveys the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve the commitments to end TB made by global leaders.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is organizing a special virtual talk show to commemorate World TB Day on 24 March for the same. This is especially critical in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has put End TB progress at risk, and to ensure equitable access to prevention and care in line with WHO’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage. The event will take place in a talk-show format with speakers connected by video on WHO’s interactive web-platform- End TB Forum.
The day aims to raise public awareness and understanding about one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers – TB and it’s devastating health, social and economic impact on people around the world. TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance. World TB Day is an opportunity to focus on the people affected by this disease and to call for accelerated action to end TB suffering and deaths, especially in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist: latent TB infection (LTBI) and TB disease. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal.
People at high risk for developing TB disease include:
- People with HIV infection
- People who became infected with TB bacteria in the last 2 years
- Babies and young children
- People who inject illegal drugs
- People who are sick with other diseases that weaken the immune system
- Elderly people
- People who were not treated correctly for TB in the past
Let’s come together and raise awareness of the challenges that hinder our progress toward the elimination of this devastating disease.
Better to Prevent Latent TB Infection from Progressing to TB Disease
