Each year, we recognize World TB Day on March 24. This annual event commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of tubercle bacillus, the germ that causes tuberculosis. This year, DHEC’s division of TB Control will celebrate World TB Day by developing initiatives that recognize and educate the community and internal DHEC staff and collaborating with community partners.
This year’s theme is “Invest to End TB. Save Lives.”
“For the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020. The theme of World TB Day 2022 – “ Invest to End Tb. Save Lives.” – conveys the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve the commitment to end TB made by global leaders.” – (Pan American Health Organization; World Health Organization, 2022)
Regional frontline staff will be celebrated for the exemplary work they do to help end TB. Each of the following awards was created to bring humor and recognition to both individual and team efforts:
- Mr. Clean Award
- P.E.A.K.E. Award
- Mission Impossible Award
- Triple "E" Award
- GPS Award
- Robert Koch Award
- Mayday! Mayday! Award
- Atypical Award
- Sherlock Holmes Award
- MacGyver Award.
Social media messages will also be posted the week of World TB Day promoting events and informing the public on the signs and symptoms of TB.
TB Control shared access to valuable resources, including World TB Day posters, flyers, and pamphlets, to our community partners representing diabetes, HIV/AIDs, substance abuse, and other agencies representing co-morbidities of TB to distribute to their clients.
For more information on World TB Day, please visit the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website at cdc.gov/tb/worldtbday/default.htm.