WHO Reports 1.5 Million People Die From Tuberculosis Every Year. How Can We End This Global Crisis?

World Tuberculosis Day 2025: Tuberculosis, also commonly known as (TB) is a contagious disease that affects the lungs of humans with a bacterium namely, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), each year about 10 million people fall ill with TB. Meanwhile, approximately around 1.5 million people die from the same illness making it the world’s top 10 causes of death.

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To put an end to the world's deadliest disease, Dr. Robert Koch, in 1882 established March 24 as 'World Tuberculosis Day'. 

What is World Tuberculosis Day?

On World Tuberculosis Day, like-minded people, NGOs, Hospitals, etc. come together to raise awareness about Tuberculosis, as well as, raise funds to end the disease.

This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls upon people to observe World Tuberculosis Day 2025 under the theme “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver"

A bold call by the WHO for the "hope, urgency, and accountability" of how this disease is killing millions of people worldwide.

How can we end Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease and is associated with many other health conditions. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) refers to tuberculosis and its related illnesses as having a ‘troubled relationship.’

The major reason for death among those individuals infected with HIV is TB and it is also a leading contributor to Antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

However, there's no need to worry about it as the WHO confirms that Tuberculosis is ‘curable’ with certain types of courses that take 6 months and come with 4 antibiotics now easily available.

“Common drugs include rifampicin and isoniazid. In some cases, the TB bacteria do not respond to the standard drugs. In this case, the patient has drug-resistant TB. Treatment for drug-resistant TB is longer and more complex. The course of TB drugs is provided to the patient with information, supervision and support by a health worker or trained volunteer," WHO explains. 

“Without such support, treatment adherence can be difficult. If the treatment is not properly completed, the disease can become drug-resistant and can spread. In the case of TB infection (where the patient is infected with TB bacteria but not ill), TB preventive treatment can be given to stop the onset of disease.”

Know symptoms

Individuals who are suffering from Tuberculosis are prone to prolonged intensive cough, pain in the chest, and coughing up blood or sputum from inside the lungs, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Active TB can cause symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, chills, fever, sweating at night time, red or blue swelling under the skin, blood in the urine, headache, backpain and hoarseness. Inactive TB shows no symptoms, however, if untreated it can develop active TB disease and individuals will become sick.