GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Collective Prevention Services (CPS) of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), says that tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a burden around the world as nations came together on Tuesday, March 24 to raise awareness about TB on World Tuberculosis Day.
This year’s theme is: “Find, Treat, Cure TB.”
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) End TB Strategy envisions a world free of TB with zero deaths, disease and suffering.
It sets targets and outlines actions for governments and partners to provide patient-centred care, pursue policies and systems that enable prevention and care, and drive research and innovations needed to end the epidemic and eliminate TB.
On World TB Day, the WHO calls on governments, affected communities, civil society organizations, health-care providers, and international partners to join the drive to roll out this strategy and to reach, treat and cure all those who are ill today.
37 million lives were saved through effective diagnosis and treatment between 2000-2013; and 480,000 people developed multidrug resistant TB in the world in 2013.
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) joined the Region on Tuesday in observing the day. TB ranks as the second leading cause of death from infectious disease, after HIV.
TB remains a public health priority for the Caribbean region with more than 30,000 new cases occurring every year. Persistent cough, fatigue, fever, night sweats, and weight loss are common signs and symptoms of TB, and persons experiencing these symptoms should consult their doctor.
TB remains a major global health problem, responsible for illness among nine million new people each year, and deaths of 1.5 million, according to CARPHA.
