The World Health Organization (WHO) is organizing a special virtual talk show to commemorate World TB Day on 24 March. This will put the spotlight on TB under the theme – ‘Invest to End TB. Save Lives’ to convey the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve the commitments to end TB made by global leaders. This is especially critical in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has put End TB progress at risk, and to ensure equitable access to prevention and care in line with WHO’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.

The event will take place in a talk-show format with speakers connected by video on  WHO’s interactive web-platform- End TB Forum. The main speakers will include Ministers, leaders and other high-level government representatives, Heads of Agencies,  TB survivors, civil society and partners. The Show will be broadcast live, with interactive Q&A from the audience online.

Background:
World TB Day is observed on March 24 each year to raise public awareness and understanding about one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers – TB and it’s devastating health, social and economic impact on people around the world. March 24 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.

Every day, over 4100 people die from TB and nearly 30 000 people fall ill with TB disease – despite it being preventable and treatable. TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance. World TB Day is an opportunity to focus on the people affected by this disease and to call for accelerated action to end TB suffering and deaths, especially in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.