World Tuberculosis Day 2021 - infographic by BactiVax researchers

Emil Vergara, Project 10 Researcher at St. George’s University of London, UK

Chiara Bellini, Project 13 Researcher at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

Each year, World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is marked on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic impact of TB, and to accelerate efforts to end the global TB epidemic. Watch this infographic made by BactiVax Early Stage Researchers to learn why TB remains one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases and why significant global efforts are still needed to end TB.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, TB claimed the most number of lives attributable to a single infectious agent. Although most people developing drug-susceptible TB recover with appropriate treatment, access to quality care and early diagnosis are huge challenges in developing countries. Additionally, drug-resistant TB is on the rise and very difficult to treat, requiring almost 2 years of treatment. For these reasons, prevention is key to stop transmission of TB, and effective vaccines are needed.

The road to reaching many of the global targets to control this silent epidemic has been painstakingly slow. And with the sweeping effects of a pandemic that has brought the world to its knees, much of the progress of previous years is likely to be reversed. But it is never too late to turn the tide against this deadly disease. With so many lives at stake, we need leaders to not just commit, but to act. The economic and societal toll of TB may be huge, but the impact of the disease at a personal level is far greater. Every 3 minutes, 1 life is lost to TB. Every hour wasted leads to so many lives lost.

The clock is ticking.

 

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