World Tuberculosis Day 2022: History, Significance, Theme, and Facts

(Illustration: Deeksha Malhotra/The Quint)

World Tuberculosis Day is observed on 24 March every year. The World Health Organization (WHO) commemorates this day to spread awareness and educate people about the infectious disease, which affects millions of people every year.

People are unaware of the fact that tuberculosis is a curable disease, which can go undetected for years, and thus, pose a risk for the patient. Let's know more about the history, theme, significance, and facts about World Tuberculosis Day.

World Tuberculosis Day: History

The WHO chose 24 March as World TB Day because it was on this day in the year 1882 that Dr Robert Koch discovered Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for the spread of tuberculosis.

World Tuberculosis Day 2022: Theme 

As per the WHO, the theme for World TB Day 2022 is 'Invest in TB, Save Lives'. It lays emphasis on the need to invest in resources that can help us fight the infectious disease, eradicate it, and thus save millions of lives.

The WHO aims to provide equal care and prevention facilities for tuberculosis and move a step closer to its goal of Universal Health Coverage.

World Tuberculosis Day 2022: Significance 

It is important to dedicate a day to create awareness on tuberculosis because though it may seem like an outdated disease, one-third of the world's population is still suffering from it.

In 2016, around 10.2 million people contracted TB, 2 billion people around the world suffered from the disease, and there were 1.7 million TB-related deaths.

It is important to observe this day in our own ways because we might just witness the eradication of this infectious disease in our lifetime. Awareness about it can push people to seek help, get vaccinated, and take a step towards its eradication.

World Tuberculosis Day 2022: Facts 

The following facts are as per the reports issued by the WHO.

1. About a quarter of the world's population is infected by tuberculosis but only a small proportion of the infected people actually show any symptoms.

2. People with a weak immune system are at a higher risk of suffering from TB. People suffering from HIV are 20 times more likely to get infected.

3. WHO had started a programme in May 2014 which can be used as a blueprint by countries to reduce the number of infections, deaths by TB, and the catastrophic costs of the treatment. The programme aims to cut down new cases by 80% and reduce TB-related deaths by 90% between the years 2015 and 2030.

4. In the year 2020, around 10 million people got infected by TB, which included children, men, and women. But people must know that the disease is preventable and curable.

5. 1.5 million died because of TB in the year 2020. It is the 13th leading cause of death and the second infectious disease after COVID-19 to be responsible for so many deaths.

6. In the year 2020, 30 countries were burdened with 86% new cases of TB, out of which India was the leading country and other countries were China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and South Africa.

7. Between the years 2000 to 2020, 66 million lives were saved from TB but the treatment and diagnostic gap still exist. The success rate for TB treatment was 86% in 2019.

8. The TB cases are declining at a rate of 2%, which is lower than the expected rate of 4-5%.