WORLD TUBERCULOSIS DAY
World Tuberculosis Day – March 24
World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, observed on March 24, raises awareness about the devastating impact of TB and the urgent need to accelerate efforts toward its elimination. The date marks the discovery of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium by Dr. Robert Koch in 1882, a breakthrough that paved the way for TB diagnosis and treatment. TB is a re-emerging disease. Despite being preventable and curable, TB remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, particularly affecting vulnerable populations in mainly poor resource settings. This day highlights the importance of early detection, vaccination, treatment access, and global collaboration to end TB and achieve the WHO’s End TB Strategy goals.
Resources
Yes! We can end TB!
World Tuberculosis (TB) Day helps to raise awareness about the damaging health, social, and economic consequences. Today also serves as a reminder that TB continues to be one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. This year, the theme 'Yes! We can end TB!' highlights the global efforts in the fight against tuberculosis, the achievements as well as the challenges to ensure access to prevention and care.
An Auspicious Day
A blog post written by ISID Emerging Leader, David Moore
Robert Koch presented his investigations into the microbiological cause of tuberculosis on 24th March 1882, at a meeting held at the Berlin Physiological Society. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1982) That auspicious day has been commemorated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as World TB Day, an occasion on which healthcare providers and the general public take stock of the impact which Mycobacterium tuberculosis has on human health (World Health Organization 2023).
Yes! We Can End TB
World Tuberculosis Day, celebrated on March 24, 2024, continues with the theme “Yes! We can end TB.” According to the WHO, this is seen as a message of hope, as 75 million lives have been saved by global efforts to end TB since 2000. TB is preventable and curable. The WHO urges investments to scale up TB screening and preventive treatment.
Present and Future of TB – Where Are We Today?
TB, the world’s leading cause of death due to a single infectious disease, was responsible for 10.8 million new cases and 1.25 million deaths in 20231. It continues to pose a significant public health concern, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries. World TB day, celebrated on the 24th of March every year, commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch discovered this bacterium for the first time and serves as a reminder of the urgent need for innovative strategies, a call towards developing and applying ground-breaking approaches to eliminate TB and move towards a healthier global population.