When is World TB Day?

Looking at the calendar, you can understand that every day there is a holiday. Or it is a definite date, designed to draw public attention to this or that problem. Right now I want to talk about when the World TB Day and why this day is very important for every person.

A little history

The World Health Organization has long attracted attention to this issue. After all, tuberculosis is a disease that can affect everyone. This is why WHO, together with the international organization, or rather the Union for Combating Lung Diseases, on March 24, 1982, began to celebrate World TB Day. Why this date? This is quite a logical question. Everything is simple. It was this number, however, a century earlier, in 1882 Koch's wand was discovered - the only pathogen of tuberculosis.

In 1993, the world community recognized this problem as a common disaster. And in 1998 World Tuberculosis Day received such important and expected support of the United Nations.

A few words about tuberculosis

I want to tell a little about the disease itself. After all, it is necessary to understand what is at stake, if it is talked about tuberculosis. This is an infectious disease. The great danger is that this disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. It is possible to share infectious microbacteria when coughing, sneezing, and even during a conversation when the patient gets some of the saliva of the patient. In addition, not everyone knows about what is infected. And without appropriate treatment, a carrier of tuberculosis infects an average of 15 people a year. At the same time, malnutrition, bad habits (alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction), various stressful and depressive conditions, as well as chronic diseases (for example, AIDS or diabetes) help the disease develop.

Why does the public need this?

World TB Day - March 24, everyone should remember this. After all, this problem can affect a person in any place and in any, even the most inopportune time. And this is regardless of social status or material well-being. At least once a year, it is on this day the public should be reminded of this disease, about the ways of its transmission, and also about what must be done to protect yourself and all members of your family from infection. For this, a variety of activities can be held: seminars, lectures, round tables, trainings. It is also worth mentioning that it is necessary to inform children about this problem. It is necessary to organize all sorts of meetings with doctors in schools and other educational institutions. Also, the stands, newspapers, wall newspapers, brochures are also working well and giving the necessary information about this problem to the kids.

What to do?

What can you tell on the day of fighting tuberculosis? So, you need to inform people not only about how you can get infected, but what to do if the infection has already occurred.

1. Vaccination. People should understand that you can save yourself if you are timely injected. So, back in 1919, the microbiologist Calmette, as well as his close companion veterinarian Geren created a strain of microbacteria that is suitable for anti-tuberculosis vaccination of people. The first child was vaccinated with BCG in 1921.
2. Adequate treatment. A person should know that it is important not only to learn about the disease, but also to get adequate treatment. Thus, it should be said that in 1943 biochemists discovered "Streptomycin" - a drug (an antibiotic) that killed tuberculosis bacteria.

Strategy for getting rid of the problem

The World TB Day also needs to tell the public that in 1993 the disease was recognized as a nationwide problem. A little later, in order to avoid the widespread spread of this disease, a special strategy was developed, called DOTS. Its goal is the timely identification of the problem and the purpose of treatment. The essence of getting rid of the disease is that a short course of chemotherapy will be prescribed to a person. At the same time, monitoring by specialists is very important.

A few figures and statistics

Having dealt with the day when the fight against tuberculosis (March 24), it is also necessary to provide certain figures that should alert every person.

1. In 2013, the number of tuberculosis patients was 9 million. In the same year, a million and a half died (a fifth of them were HIV / AIDS patients).
2. This disease is common in all countries of the world. However, a large part - 56% of the patients - was found in the countries of Asia and Oceania. A lot of patients also live in India, China and Africa.
3. According to statistics, 60% of patients are men.
4. Over the past 25 years, the incidence rate of this disease has decreased by 41%.

How to attract public attention

How to properly hold the International Day against TB? So, for this you can use all possible methods of informing the public. What could it be?

1. Information events. In this case, doctors and scientists must communicate with people, who are obliged to tell about the problem itself, the ways of its occurrence, and also the methods of combating it. The best thing in this case are working conversations and lectures. It is advisable to arrange meetings so that visitors of the event can ask questions.
2. Placement of thematic materials. The public needs to be informed through the press, the Internet, radio and television. Also, people are actively informing people about brochures, wall newspapers and posters that report the disease.
3. Day of access, open doors. This applies to medical institutions. So, on the day of the fight against tuberculosis, mobile fluorography can be organized where people will take pictures for free and quickly. Most often they are placed in the center of the city, where everyone can be checked for illness. Immediately there should be present and specialists who can inform both healthy and sick patients.
4. Training. You can conduct various trainings and seminars where people will be taught how to avoid infection and what to do if the first symptoms manifest themselves.
5. Conferences, seminars. It is possible to collect workers of various spheres who will discuss the problem itself and the ways to get rid of it at a "high level".
6. Press conferences. The public must necessarily inform about the extent of the disease spread to this time, the percentage of people falling or falling, whether new methods of dealing with the problem appear. It is better, if the given information will be informed by scientists, instead of politicians.

And, of course, in any city there should be an organization to fight tuberculosis. After all, every person should remember and know where he can seek help if he is diagnosed with tuberculosis.