Overview:
Each year, we commemorate World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.
TB remains one of the world's deadliest infectious killers. Each day, over 4100 people lose their lives to TB and close to 28,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 66 million lives since the year 2000. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress made in the fight to end TB. For the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020.
Objectives:
- Raising awareness of TB and how it gets transmitted.
- Taking preventive measures against TB.
- Renewing political and social commitment to achieve better results in terms of eradicating TB.
- Shed light on the efforts made to eliminate TB.
Facts:
- 1.5 million people died from TB in 2020.
- In 2020, an estimated 10 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) worldwide.
- Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 66 million lives since the year 2000.
Official Date:
Globally: March 24th, 2022
Locally: Shaban 21st, 2022
Theme:
“Invest to End TB. Save Lives”
References: