World TB Day is observed on March 24 to increase public awareness of tuberculosis and the ongoing global pandemic. It honors the day in 1882 that astonished science when Dr. Robert Koch declared he had found the TB bacillus, the source of tuberculosis. 

One in seven people died from tuberculosis (TB) at the time of Koch's statement in Berlin, when the disease was rampaging through Europe and the Americas. 

The first official World Tuberculosis Day was commemorated in 1982, the year of Dr. Koch's announcement's 100th anniversary.

Many people don't know that tuberculosis is a treatable illness that sometimes goes undiagnosed for years and is the source of many myths and misconceptions. The purpose of the day is to address this issue because patients are at serious risk due to a lack of information.

Tuberculosis is a communicable disease that is one of the leading causes of sickness and mortality globally. The bacillus that causes tuberculosis is called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). Bacteria released into the air by tuberculosis sufferers propagate the disease.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious health concern and is still linked to social stigma in many parts of the world. Although effective attempts have been made in diagnosis and treatment, monitoring the disease's progression remains challenging, and the burden it has created is still present.

"Yes! We can end TB!" is the theme of 'World Tuberculosis Day', 2024, which states that it is possible to reverse the TB pandemic with higher investments, high-level leadership, and a quicker adoption of new WHO guidelines. The emphasis this year is on putting the promises made by heads of state during the UN High Level Meeting in 2023 into action to expedite efforts to eradicate tuberculosis.

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