TUBERCULOSIS: “The Clock is Ticking” WHO calls for global action to end TB

• TB kills 4000 daily
• 63 million Saved since year 2000
• 24 million at risk
• 4 million under 5 children at risk
• 6 million people living with HIV at risk

Today, 24^th March is the World Tuberculosis (TB) Day to commemorate and raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. It was in March 24,1882 that Dr Robert Koch discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.

TB, according to WHO reports, remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers. Each day, nearly 4000 lose their lives to TB and close to 28,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 63 million lives since the year 2000.

The theme of World TB Day 2021‘The Clock is Ticking’ according to the report, conveys the sense that the world is running out of time to act on the commitments to end TB made by global leaders. Adding that the COVID-19 pandemic has put End TB progress at risk.

With the theme ‘The Clock is Ticking’, WHO is calling on everybody, especially, global leaders to:

• Accelerate the End TB response to reach the targets set in Sustainable Development Goals.
• Diagnose and treat 40million people with TB by 2022 including 3.5 million children and 1.5 million with drug resistant TB in line with WHO overall drive towards Universal Health Coverage and WHO director General’s flagship initiative “Find. Treat All. #EndTB” jointly with the Global Fund and stop TB Partnership
• Reach 30 million people with TB preventive treatment by 2022, including 24 million household contacts of TB patients
• Mobilize sufficient and sustainable financing to reach USD13 billion a year.
• Invest in TB research to reach at least 2 billion a year for better science, better tools and better deliveries

WHO advocates for systematic screening of TB that can benefit people who are at risk of getting the disease. According to report, early detection and early start of treatment can improve the outcome and cost. And can also benefit entire communities at higher risk for TB, by reducing the prevalence of TB disease and preventing future people from falling ill with TB.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is organizing a special virtual talk show to commemorate World TB Day today with a view to put the spotlight on TB in the midst of the ongoing COVID crisis.

The event will take place in a talk-show format with speakers connected by video on WHO’s interactive web-platform- End TB Forum. The main speakers will include Ministers, leaders and other high-level government representatives, Heads of Agencies, TB survivors, civil society and partners. The Show will be broadcast live, with interactive Q&A from the audience online.