Join the fight

to seize the disease

World TB Day

every 24 March

World TB Day is observed every 24 March to commemorate the date in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch discovered what causes TB.  But over a century later the disease still kills around 1.7 million people a year.

So what exactly is TB?  An infection caused by a bacteria that mainly affects the lungs – although different types can affect other parts of the body.

Tuberculosis symptoms include coughing up blood or phlegm, weight loss and a loss of appetite.  The good news is that with treatment of antibiotics TB is relatively straightforward to cure.

The theme for 2019 is ‘Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world.  You can make history.  End TB’ and if you want to find out more the World TB Day website has lots of information about events taking place to help raise awareness of TB.