There are far too many diseases and illnesses that we battle through life. But there are a few diseases that manage to wreck the life of the patient, their family and lead to much more chaos than others. And one disease that tops this list has to be Tuberculosis (TB). TB is one of the top 10 causes of death across the world, and the World Health Organisation along with several other NGOs, activists and health clinics has taken a pledge to put an end to this horrid disease. Every year March 24 serves as a reminder of this goal and is commemorated as World Tuberculosis Day. World TB Day is an immensely important day in our battle against this deadly disease and is commemorated with great prowess across the world.

Date and Significance of World TB Day

Every year we recognise March 24 as World TB day. On this day, Dr Robert Koch announced his discovery of bacillus(Mycobacterium tuberculosis) to the scientific world in 1882. This bacteria is the leading cause of Tuberculosis and was unknown to humankind then. This discovery played a crucial role in gauging our journey in battling this disease. WHO Calls Tuberculosis India’s Biggest Killer: 4 Ways To Stay Protected From TB.

How is World TB Day Celebrated?

Today, people across the world utilise World TB Day to increase awareness on the susceptibility, symptoms and treatment of this disease. Tuberculosis took A total of 1.5 million lives in 2018, thereby proving that it is still extremely prevalent and challenging to fight. The contagious nature of this disease has been a critical reason for the struggle to combat the illnesses. This is the reason that one of the most important parts of the World TB Day celebration is educating about the impact of this preventable and curable disease. Has India Failed at Tackling Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis?

World TB Day 2020 Theme

Every year there is a dedicated theme that sets the tone for the awareness communication of the observance. The theme for World TB Day 2020 is 'It's Time.' Under this theme, WHO is motivating global leaders to scale up access to prevention and treatment; build accountability; ensure sufficient and sustainable financing including for research; Promote an end to stigma and discrimination, and promote an equitable, rights-based and people-centred TB response.

Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest and most infectious diseases in the world. But the biggest attribute that we have is the fact that it is preventable and curable. The biggest catch is making the TB vaccine accessible and increasing awareness on the ways to reduce the transmission of this disease. The global efforts for curbing this disease has already resulted in saving 58 million lives and with our continued, concentrated and courageous approach, soon it really will be time to put this disease to bed. Until we reach that day, all we can do is educate one new person on this terrifying disease. Happy World TB Day!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 23, 2020 01:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).