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What is World TB Day?
World TB Day is held each year on March 24th and aims to build public awareness for tuberculosis. A disease which despite being curable, remains a destructive epidemic in much of the world.
On this day, we commemorate Dr Robert Koch’s announcement in 1882 of his discovery of the TB bacillus, the cause of tuberculosis. His groundbreaking research opened the way toward diagnosing and curing this disease.
World TB Day is an opportunity for people everywhere to join this fight by helping to educate others about TB and by urging governments to take action. We believe that together we can End TB for once and for all: Unite to End TB!
The Red Arrow : A Symbol to Unite Us Against TB
The Red Arrow is a symbol for our goal: a world without TB. It represents our unwavering commitment to move forward with this mission until we reach the finish line. Because despite its devastating impact as the world’s leading infectious killer, there is still the troubling fact that most people in the world think of TB as a disease of the past.
The Red Arrow was developed with the input of thousands of partners in the TB community. The symbol belongs to no single organization, person, tagline, or agenda. It represents our unity against TB, and it’s in your hands to shape, mold, and give meaning to.
Key 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.
- Globally in 2014, an estimated 480 000 people developed multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).
- The Millennium Development Goal target of halting and reversing the TB epidemic by 2015 has been met globally. 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.
