The origin of World Tuberculosis Day begins with Dr. Robert Koch. Although he set out to cure tuberculosis, he discovered the bacteria (mycobacterium tuberculosis) that caused the disease on March 20, 1882.

A hundred years later, in 1982, the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease pushed for March 24 to be recognized as World Tuberculosis Day. However, it was not universally recognized until 1995 when the World Health Organization (WHO) and Royal Netherlands Tuberculosis Foundation (KNCV) hosted the first World Tuberculosis Day. Since then, hundreds of organizations annually take part in this celebration.

On this day, participants raise awareness of tuberculosis and increase efforts dedicated to eradicating it.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease that affects the brain, spine, kidney, and, more commonly, the lungs. It is transmitted from person to person through an infected person’s droplets from sneezing, coughing, talking, or singing. Once someone becomes infected, the disease can lie dormant for several years without expressing symptoms. Some of these include a persistent cough, fever, weight loss, chills, and coughing up blood.

Tuberculosis is most prevalent in India, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and South Africa as 87% of new TB cases in 2019 occurred in these countries, as stated by WHO.

There is a vaccine for tuberculosis and a method of treating and curing it. According to the CDC, “The Center Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) disease. It is often given to infants and small children in other countries where TB is common.” Additionally, a lengthy treatment (6-9 months) of several antibiotics cures tuberculosis.

You can raise awareness for World Tuberculosis Day by posting to social media, learning about the disease, and donating to organizations that distribute drugs used to cure TB.