World Tuberculosis Day 2022

Every 24 March, the world annually commemorates World Tuberculosis (TB) Day to educate the public on the terrible effects of TB on the health and economic well-being of society as well as to boost efforts to fight this global epidemic.

In 1882, Dr. Robert Koch discovered the bacteria “Mycobacterium tuberculosis” which causes TB. This discovery has paved new ways to better understand TB, diagnose and treat it effectively.

TB is still one of the deadliest infectious diseases on the planet. According to World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 1.5 million people died from TB in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 had interrupted years of progress in tuberculosis research, and TB-related deaths increased for the first time in over a decade.

"Invest to End TB. Save Lives." is the theme for World TB Day 2022, which emphasises the urgent need to invest in resources that will boost the battle against TB. It also aims to achieve the global leaders’ commitment to end TB which is to provide equal access to prevention and treatment, in line with WHO’s goal of Universal Health Coverage.