World Tuberculosis Day 2023: "Yes! We can end TB!"

World TB Day is observed every year on March 24 to increase awareness about diseases like TB among people globally. In 2023, this event is being observed around the theme "Yes! We can end TB!".

Hyderabad: TB also known as Tuberculosis has claimed the lives of a large number of people over the world for many centuries. Despite the progress in modern medicine, even today a large number of people are afraid of the disease, and since it is contagious in most cases, people suffering from it usually have to face isolation from society.

Tuberculosis / TB is considered a serious epidemic in most parts of the world, especially in developing countries, and due to this, about one and a half million people die every year. To spread awareness among the general public about this disease, its types, and its treatment, and to motivate people and organizations to do new research and work, “World Tuberculosis Day” is observed globally on March 24 every year.

In the year 2023, this event is being observed around the theme “Yes! We can end TB!”, to combat the TB epidemic, and to instill hope among the people that freedom from TB is possible. Apart from this, high-level leadership, increasing investment and prompting new WHO recommendations, adopting innovations, and motivating people to quick action in an event of infection are also among the objectives of the selection of this theme.

Doctors consider TB or tuberculosis as a deadly infectious disease, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. Generally, cases of TB affecting the lungs are more common, but this bacterium can affect other parts of the body besides the lungs. When a person suffering from this infection coughs, sneezes, or speaks, infectious droplet "nuclei" is generated with it, which can infect another person through the air. Significantly, nucleases can remain active in the environment for several hours.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2021, 10.6 million people fell ill with TB, out of which 1.6 million people had to face death. World Tuberculosis Day provides an opportunity for people and medical, social, and other organizations around the world to unite and try to reduce the spread of this epidemic and the number of people who lose their lives due to it.

Rollout of new WHO-recommended shorter all-oral treatment regimens for drug-resistant TB from Member States to partner with WHO to end TB this year. World Tuberculosis Day 2023 will issue a call to action to highlight the suffering it causes to millions of people, and to call for comprehensive and universal care for those affected.

According to the UN General Assembly to be held in September in the year 2023, the organization will call upon the heads of state of the member countries to work unitedly for political and social commitment in accelerating the progress against TB. So that not only can this disease be eliminated, but also research for its treatment and efforts can be made for resources, support, and care to ensure universal access to TB care.

Significantly, people suffering from TB are considered the most neglected and vulnerable, and many TB victims also face problems with treatment and care. In such situations, on the occasion of World TB Day, the World Health Organization is calling for global action to remove health inequities for people with TB and other diseases so that concrete action can be taken to end TB.

The purpose of World Tuberculosis Day is to spread awareness among people about TB and to make efforts for its prevention, as well as to spread public awareness about its health, social, and economic effects on people. Due to this, many other types of programs are organized on the occasion of World TB Day, along with awareness campaigns.

On March 24, 1882, German physician and microbiologist Robert Koch discovered the TB bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In fact, at that time TB was spreading havoc all over Europe and America, and due to this one out of every seven people was dying. This discovery of Koch paved the way for diagnosing and treating TB. Due to this, he was also awarded the Nobel Prize in the year 1905.

In 1982, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease declared March 24 as World Tuberculosis Day. Later in the year 1996, the World Health Organization along with other organizations also joined this campaign, after which the Stop TB Partnership was formally established in 1998, whose objective was to fight TB and prevent it from spreading.

On the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day, many types of awareness programs and campaigns are organized around the world. These include community discussions about ways to prevent TB, photo exhibitions, charity events, and special events to honour and reward people who have dedicated their lives to preventing and fighting the disease.