lightbox[Tuberculosis]World Tuberculosis Day 2016!

 

  

World Tuberculosis Day is a worldwide event that aims to raise public awareness of tuberculosis and the efforts made to prevent and treat this disease. This event is held on March 24 each year and is promoted by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).

Various World Tuberculosis Day events and activities are organized by various organizations involved in the Stop TB Partnership. WHO is a United Nations’ (UN) health authority that works with this network to promote World Tuberculosis Day each year. Campaign activities include:

• Community discussion groups that are organized to look at ways to prevent TB.
• Award ceremonies or other events to honor the life and work of those who dedicate their lives to prevent and fight against TB.
• Photo exhibitions that showcase images to raise worldwide awareness of TB.
• Charity events to raise funds for disease control (of TB) in countries that need assistance.

 

The theme of this year’s World TB Day is: "Unite to End TB"

 

Tuberculosis, or TB, is an infectious bacterial disease. Robert Koch, a German physician and scientist, presented his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), on the evening of March 24, 1882.

Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. Tuberculosis is spread through the air when people who have active TB in their lungs cough, spit, speak, or sneeze. Most infections do not have symptoms, known as latent tuberculosis. About 1 in 10 people with latent tuberculosis, eventually progresses to active TB, which, if left untreated, kills more than 50% of the infected.

The classic symptoms of active TB are a chronic cough with blood-containing sputum, fever, night sweats, and weight loss and various symptoms as a result of infection of other organs.

 

Some facts:

• Tuberculosis (TB) is a top infectious disease killer worldwide.
• In 2014, 9.6 million people fell ill with TB and 1.5 million died from the disease.
• Over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and it is among the top 5 causes of death for women aged 15 to 44.
• In 2014, an estimated 1 million children became ill with TB and 140 000 children died of TB.
• TB is a leading killer of HIV-positive people: in 2015, 1 in 3HIV deaths was due to TB.
• TB incidence has fallen by an average of 1.5% per year since 2000 and is now 18% lower than the level of 2000.
• The TB death rate dropped 47% between 1990 and 2015.
• An estimated 43 million lives were saved through TB diagnosis and treatment between 2000 and 2014.
• Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals.