World Tuberculosis Day
A WHO-organized day raising awareness of tuberculosis prevention and treatment, in pursuit of ending it as a public health threat.
Date24 March
TopicHealth
Established1982
Ways to observe this day
- Learn the basic symptoms and transmission routes of TB for prevention
- Share accurate information that helps reduce the stigma facing TB patients
- Support a campaign or organization working to fight TB in your country
- Encourage people around you to seek early medical checks for persistent respiratory symptoms
World Tuberculosis Day has been observed every March 24 since 1982, when the World Health Organization, together with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, launched it to mark a century since German scientist Robert Koch announced his discovery of the bacterium causing TB on March 24, 1882 — a discovery that paved the way for diagnosing and treating the disease.
The day raises awareness that, despite being preventable and curable, tuberculosis remains one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases, infecting millions each year and killing hundreds of thousands, most of them in developing countries. WHO, health ministries, and NGOs worldwide mark the occasion with screening and awareness campaigns, and publish annual reports on progress against the disease, as part of a global push to end the TB epidemic by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
