The world marks World Tuberculosis day March 24 annually. This is a global commemoration designed to ramp up public awareness on the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to increase efforts to end the epidemic.
Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 63 million lives since the year 2000.
Drawing from statistics,Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers with nearly 4000 lives being lost daily. About 28,000 people fall ill as a result of this preventable and curable disease.
This year’s theme of ‘The Clock is Ticking’ conveys the idea that global leaders are running out of time to act on their commitments to end TB globally.
This is especially critical in the context of COVID-19 to ensure equitable access to prevention and care in line with the World Health Organisation’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.