World Tuberculosis Day

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In news : World Tuberculosis Day was observed on 24the March 2021

About World Tuberculosis Day

• The World Health Organization observes World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of 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
• This year’s theme: ‘The Clock is Ticking’ –conveys the sense that the world is running out of time to act on the commitments to end TB made by global leaders.

On World TB Day, WHO calls on everyone to keep the promise to:

• Accelerate the End TB Response to reach the targets set in Sustainable Development Goals, WHO End TB Strategy, the Moscow Declaration to End TB and the political declaration of the UN High-Level Meeting on TB.
• Diagnose and treat 40 million people with TB by 2022 including 3.5 million children and 1.5 million people with drug-resistant TB. This is in line with WHO’s overall drive towards Universal Health Coverage and the WHO Director General’s flagship initiative “Find. Treat. All. #EndTB” jointly with the Global Fund and Stop TB Partnership.
• Reach 30 million people with TB preventive treatment by 2022 so that those people most at risk receive TB preventive treatment, including 24 million household contacts of TB patients – 4 million of whom are children under 5 – and 6 million people living with HIV.
• Mobilize sufficient and sustainable financing to reach USD 13 billion a year to support efforts to end TB; for every USD 1 invested to end TB, USD 43 is returned as the benefits of a healthy functioning society (Economist/ Copenhagen Consensus).
• Invest in TB research to reach at least USD 2 billion a year for better science, better tools and better delivery.

Initiatives by India

• India has 30% of the world’s TB cases and India has accorded the highest priority to end tuberculosis by 2025
• Budget allocation for TB in India has witnessed a fourfold increase in the last 5 years. 
• High-quality drugs, digital technology, engaging the private sector and communities, integrating TB services across all levels within the health system, are all aligned to rapidly decline TB incidence and mortality in the country
•  TB has been made an essential part of Comprehensive Primary Health Care and is now integrated with Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), the largest comprehensive health care and health protection programme in the world

New initiatives 

• The Union Health Minister and Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also released several reports. 
• These are India TB Report 2021, Guidelines for programmatic management of Drug-Resistant TB in India, 2021, a Guidance document on Strategy to End Stigma and Discrimination Associated with Tuberculosis, Collaborative framework for the management of TB in pregnant women, Gender-responsive approach. 
• TB Aarogya Sathi Application for citizens/TB patients was also launched at the event along with iDEFEAT TB Project and Corporate TB pledge. 
• TB Aarogya Sathi Application will be a one-stop solution that will have all the information related to TB.

TB free status 

Awards were also given to best performing States/UTs based on their State TBI Index. Lakshadweep (UT) and the district of Budgam (J&K) were declared TB free.

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