World TB Day is observed every year on March 24, the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. The discovery opened the path toward diagnosing and curing this disease, health officials say.
World TB Day is a time to raise awareness of TB and its impact here in Georgia and around the world. Globally, TB is a leading cause of death by infectious disease, claiming 1.5 million lives each year. And while TB rates are much lower in Georgia and the rest of the US than the global average, too many people in our communities still suffer from TB disease, public health officials say.
TB is caused by bacteria that are spread from person to person through the air. In some individuals, the infection remains in a latent, or dormant state, but without proper preventative treatment, the bacteria can become active, multiply, and cause serious life-threatening disease. TB most often affects the lungs, but the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body as well. Symptoms of pulmonary TB disease include a productive cough that lasts more than 3 weeks, coughing up blood, and chest pain. Other symptoms of active TB disease include fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, chills, and night sweats.
District 2 Public Health, which oversees 13 county health departments, is part of a worldwide effort to eliminate TB. Strategies to achieve this goal include:
- Early diagnosis of active TB disease
- Completion of TB treatment by directly observed therapy
- Locating, screening, and treating contacts who have been exposed to active TB disease
- Targeted TB testing among high-risk individuals (such as those who live or work in high-risk congregate settings, were born or lived in countries with a high prevalence of TB, or are immunocompromised)
- Preventative treatment for TB infections
“TB testing is offered in all 13 of our county health departments, and we work with local healthcare and community agencies to provide education, follow-up testing, and care,” says District 2 Public Health spokesperson Natasha Young.
For more information on World TB Day and TB in general, visit https://www.cdc.gov/tb/worldtbday/default.htm.
To find the location of your local District 2 County Health Department, visit https://phdistrict2.org/.
