WORLD TB DAY

      The World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2017 was observed globally on 24 March 2017 with the theme Unite to End TB: Leave no one behind.

      This year, WHO places a special focus on uniting efforts to Leave no one behind, including actions to address stigma, discrimination, marginalization and overcome barriers to access care. This year marks the second year of the End TB Strategy of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The strategy aims to help ensure that countries implementing it adhere to sound ethical standards to protect the rights of all those affected.
      In 2016, WHO reported that 10.4 million people fell ill with TB and there were 1.8 million TB deaths in 2015, making it the top infectious killer worldwide.
      The day commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus.
       It is aimed at building the public awareness about the tuberculosis that remains an epidemic in much of the world, causing the deaths of nearly one-and-a-half million people each year.
      It is also an opportunity to mobilize political and social commitment for further progress in efforts to end TB.