World Tuberculosis Day

The 2025 theme “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver” focuses on turning political promises into measurable action. It calls for stronger leadership, sustained financing, and effective implementation to close gaps in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care, especially for high-burden and vulnerable populations.

III. What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a contagious disease caused by bacteria that mainly affects the lungs, though it can also involve other organs. It spreads through the air when a person with active TB coughs, sneezes, or speaks.

IV. Quick Facts about Tuberculosis

1. TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and mainly affects the lungs.
2. TB is preventable and curable with proper treatment and care.
3. TB is leading cause of death from a single infectious disease.
4. TB remains among the top 10 causes of death worldwide.
5. TB is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV. They are 12 times more likely to develop TB.
6. TB was a major contributor to deaths linked to AMR.
7. An estimated 83 million lives have been saved through global TB control efforts over the past two decades.
8. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a serious global threat.
9. The WHO African Region has the highest rates of TB among people with HIV.

V. A Brief History of  World Tuberculosis Day

1882: Robert Koch discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis, proving TB was caused by a bacterium and not hereditary or a curse.

1921: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine was first used in humans, offering protection against severe forms of TB in children.

1993: WHO declared TB a global public health emergency.

200s

1995: WHO and the Royal Netherlands Tuberculosis Foundation (KNCV) held the first World TB Day advocacy planning meeting in The Hague, a partnership they continued for several years.

1996: WHO, KNCV, IUATLD, and other organizations came together to run a wide range of World TB Day activities.

1997: At a WHO press conference in Berlin, Director-General Hiroshi Nakajima called DOTS the decade’s biggest health breakthrough for saving lives.

1998: At World TB Day press conference in London, WHO for the first time named the 22 countries with the highest TB burden.

2000: U.S. President Bill Clinton marked World TB Day by helping administer DOTS treatment to patients at Mahavir Hospital in Hyderabad, India.

2014: Of the 9 million people who develop TB each year, 3 million are missed by health systems, so World TB Day 2014 focused on finding these people and ensuring they receive proper diagnosis and treatmen.

2018: Focused on building commitment to end TB at every level, from global leaders to local officials, health workers, communities, and people affected by the disease.