#  World TB Day 2023 

 





Tuberculosis (TB) is a curable and preventable disease, yet approximately 1.5 million people die of TB every year, making TB the world’s second leading infectious killer after COVID-19.



 

March 24, 2023

 

 

March 24 is [World TB Day](https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-tb-day/2023), a day to raise awareness of TB and drive global action. The date commemorates the discovery of the bacterium that causes TB and the subsequent advances in diagnosing, treating, and preventing this devastating disease. This year’s World TB Day theme, “Yes! We can end TB!,” embodies the energy that the campaign aims to inspire for ending the TB epidemic.

Tuberculosis is caused by an infection of *Mycobacterium tuberculosis* bacteria, which usually affects the lungs. The disease spreads from person to person through airborne droplets when a person with active infection coughs or sneezes. TB affects all age groups, but it is especially deadly among people with HIV. TB is often called a “disease of poverty” because poverty influences the social conditions that increase risk of spread, prevent people from accessing timely testing and treatment, and increase vulnerability to severe disease.

Disruptions in diagnosis and treatment due to the COVID-19 pandemic have reversed years of progress on ending the TB epidemic. World TB Day calls on global leaders to step up their efforts to end TB.

To learn more about TB and other infectious diseases, explore our resource pack on [Global Infectious Disease](https://repository.gheli.harvard.edu/repository/collection/resource-pack-hiv/).



 

 

 



 

 

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