New Delhi (NVI): World Tuberculosis Day is celebrated every year on March 24 around the world, to raise awareness about the disastrous health, social and economic consequences of TB on wellbeing of an individual.
The day is also observed to educate people about the disease, its impact and to take efforts to end the TB epidemic globally.
TB is caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus. This bacteria responsible for tuberculosis has been found to affect the lungs, mainly. However, it can affect any organ of the body and the ailment can develop when bacteria spread through droplets in the air.
World TB Day was commemorated on March 24 in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. This opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers. Nearly 4,000 people lose their lives to TB each day and close to 28,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease.
Global efforts to combat the disease have saved an estimated 63 million lives since the year 2000.
This year’s theme for World TB Day is —’The Clock is Ticking’, which focuses that the world is running out of time to act on the commitments to end TB made by the global leaders.
“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 WHO said in a statement.
Every year World TB Day is celebrated by organizing various campaigns and health awareness programs with an aim to prevent and treat the infection of tuberculosis
On this day, the WHO has also called everyone to keep the promise to accelerate the End TB response and it aims to reach 30 million people with TB preventive treatment by 2022.
-RJV
