By Hemali Bedi
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s top global health challenges. [1] It is both p
reventable and curable, yet in 2014, 9.6 million people contracted TB and 1.5 million died from the disease. [1] Currently, over 95% of cases and deaths occur in developing countries. [2]
March 24th marks World TB Day, which aims to increase awareness of the global burden of TB and call for political and social support to tackle the disease. [3] Co-ordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), this day commemorates Dr Robert Koch’s discovery of the TB bacillus bacteria in 1882. [3] This year, the campaigns focus is “Unite to End TB”. [4]
WHO recognise that tackling this complex disease requires a multifactorial approach – societal, social, economic and medical factors all need to be addressed. [1] This is outlined in WHO’s 2015 Global Tuberculosis Report, which takes an in depth look at the global strategy needed to combat the epidemic.
World TB Day calls for progress in these areas and highlights the need for collaboration across sectors and disciplines to address the medical and social causes of ill health. [4]
If you would like to know more about TB, visit BMJ Case Report’s collection of TB related cases or see our Global Health Collection.
References
[1] 2015 Global Tuberculosis Report. The World Health Organization. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/191102/1/9789241565059_eng.pdf?ua=1 , published 2015
[2] Tuberculosis. The World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs104/en/, published October 2015
[3] World TB Day. Stop TB Partnership. http://www.stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/, accessed 21 March 2016
[4] World TB Day 2016: Unite to End TB. The World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/campaigns
/tb-day/2016/en/ , accessed 18 March 2016