The world celebrates World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24 annually. A day set aside to commemorate the astounding discovery of the TB bacillus by Dr. Robert Koch in 1882. Today, World TB Day represents more than a commemoration of a discovery. It serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing global epidemic of TB, underscoring the persistent challenges it presents and the shortcomings in global efforts to eradicate it. It is a day dedicated to raising awareness about the disease through public education and engagement, emphasizing the need for collective action and unity within the global community to combat TB effectively.
Over a century has passed since tuberculosis first emerged, yet its grip on public health persists. Before the advent of COVID-19, tuberculosis stood as the leading cause of death attributed to a single infectious agent worldwide. Approximately 10 million people are infected and about 1.3 million of them die annually as a result of this disease. There is therefore the need to improve efforts to dispel myths and misinformation about the disease, and to empower society to be ambassadors in achieving our shared goal of ending TB.
This year’s World TB Day did just that, and the team hopes to reach more people in subsequent outreaches.
TB is Curable!
Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
Complete Outreach to Help End TB
Efforts were further extended to the Jamestown community, where teams engaged with residents and workers as in the case of Abossey Okai. This approach, overall, facilitated comfortable and seamless interactions, fostering meaningful dialogue.
