World Tuberculosis Day is observed every year on March 24 to raise public awareness about the disease and the ways to prevent it.

TB is the leading cause of death from infectious diseases worldwide, killing an estimated number of 480,000 people each year.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that, at first, affects the lungs. The contagious virus then transmits to another person through the droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes of the infected person.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), TB bacteria, known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, majorly attacks the lungs but it can target any part of the body, including the kidney, spine and brain. However, not every person who is affected by the bacterium which causes TB necessarily manifests typical signs of the disease.

The outbreak of TB majorly happens in areas with destitute living conditions. TB, if goes undetected for some time, can pose a greater health risk for a human.

On March 24, 1882, Dr. Robert Koch discovered the TB-causing bacterium and to commemorate the day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) hosts events to further the efforts of eliminating the disease.

The theme of world tuberculosis day this year: (Courtesy: AZ Quotes)

The theme for World TB Day 2022 is "Invest in TB, Save Lives." It urges people to invest in resources that can help fight the infectious disease and eradicate it, thereby saving millions of lives.

Below are some quotes about the disease:

  • "The cure for bad politics is the same as the cure for tuberculosis. It is living in the open."- Woodrow Wilson
  • "Tuberculosis, starvation, fatigue, and there are many who have no desire to live."- Edward R. Murrow
  • "Nature is that lovely lady to whom we owe polio, leprosy, smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, cancer."- Stanley Norman Cohen
  • "Whatever happened to the good old days: you know, dirty attics, tuberculosis and general all-round suffering?"- Arnold Wesker
  • "In high school, I won a prize for an essay on tuberculosis. When I got through writing the essay, I was sure I had the disease."- Constance Baker Motley
  • "The United States has put more money on HIV, AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis than any country in the world and it's having an impact real quick."- Bill Frist
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Tuberculosis is a life-threatening disease Pixabay
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