On the eve of World TB Day on March 24, an awareness rally was held at Kumarghat in Tripura on Friday. Kumarghat Ucchatara Madhyamik Balika Vidyalay along with district health administration and NGO Pusporaaj club took the initiative to organize the rally.
At least 500 students participated in the rally displaying placards, banners and posters to spread awareness on tuberculosis among the people.
Each year World TB Day is observed on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.
Despite significant progress over the last decades, TB continues to be the top infectious killer worldwide, claiming over 4 500 lives a day. The emergence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) poses a major health security threat and could risk gains made in the fight against TB.
The theme of World TB Day 2018 is “Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world” focusing on building commitment to end TB.