World TB day commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of M. tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. His discovery opened the way for diagnosising and curing tuberculosis. The goal of this day is to build public awareness of tuberculosis. TB still remains an epidemic in much of the world today. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)¹:
-
More than two billion people, or approximately one-third of the world’s population, are infected with TB
-
Every 20 seconds, someone in the world dies of TB
-
1 in 10 people infected with TB will become sick with active TB in their lifetime
-
TB is contagious and spreads through the air. If not treated, each person with active TB disease infects on average 10 to 15 people each year
-
TB is the leading infectious killer of people living with HIV/AIDS
-
Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a threat with an estimated 490,000 new cases each year, causing more than 130,000 deaths
¹World Health Organization 2008 Tuberculosis Facts
