WORLD TUBERCULOSIS DAY 2025: UNITED TO END TUBERCULOSIS

 

On March 24, we commemorate World Tuberculosis Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about tuberculosis (TB) and its devastating impact on global public health.

This year's theme, "United to End Tuberculosis," emphasizes the importance of global collaboration to eradicate TB as a public health problem.

Although TB is preventable and treatable, the disease continues to kill millions of lives annually.

TB is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, discovered by Robert Koch in 1882. While it mainly attacks the lungs, it can also affect other organs.

TB spreads through the air when an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or speaks. Symptoms include prolonged coughing, fever, night sweats, and fatigue.

Even though TB is a curable disease, challenges remain, particularly delayed in diagnosis, non-adherence to treatment regimes, and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) which requires  more intensive interventions.

In Malaysia, the TB cases has been increased from 25,391 in 2022 to 26,781 in 2023. Whereas the reported new cases worldwide were 10.6 million in 2022, with 1.3 million deaths. These figures highlight the urgent need to increase awareness towards TB to ensure prompt treatment to be initiated for those infected.

 

The goals of World Tuberculosis Day 2025 highlight several key aspects:

First, to raise awareness through treatment promotion, early diagnosis encouragement, and stigma reduction. Programs for community education can enable people to identify symptoms and get help right away.

Second, to achieve universal health care by guaranteeing fair TB prevention and treatment, especially for marginalized populations. Reducing gaps in TB care and improving treatment results are possible when social determinants of health are addressed.

Investing in innovations comes in third. Ending tuberculosis requires the development of improved diagnostic instruments, vaccinations, and shortened treatment plans. Technological innovations that promise to improve healthcare access and accuracy include artificial intelligence in TB diagnosis.

Fourth, in order to pool resources and knowledge, cooperation with partnerships between governments, non-governmental organizations, and international institutions such as the WHO is crucial. The WHO's End TB Strategy acts as a guide for accomplishing the global TB eradication objectives.

 

On this World Tuberculosis Day, let's work together to fight TB by educating our communities about how to prevent it, taking part in local screening and awareness programs, and supporting organizations that are in the forefront of TB prevention and treatment initiatives.

In Malaysia, TB prevention promotes social justice, economic stability, and better health.

Prof. Dr. Ching Siew Mooi
Family Medicine Specialist
Department of Family Medicine
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Universiti Putra Malaysia

Date of Input: 20/03/2025 | Updated: 20/03/2025 | nadia_rahman