World Tuberculosis Day 2023 is on March 24th. The theme is 'Yes! We can end TB!'.
In 2021, 1.6 million people died from TB. A further 10.6 million fell ill with it.
TB begins with a mild fever and malaise, followed by a painful cough and shortness of breath. It usually affects the lungs.
The infection prospers in crowded conditions. Containing an outbreak requires contact tracing, isolation of the infected, and it can take weeks, or even months, of medical treatment to cure.
TB is present in all countries and age groups. In most cases, it’s treatable and curable. However, people with TB can die if they do not get proper medical attention.
Both the centres we support - Raphael in Northern India and Klibur Domin in Timor-Leste - screen for and treat TB patients.
Klibur Domin continues to be one of the leading organisations in Timor-Leste in the fight against Tuberculosis. In 2022, Klibur Domin staff identified 947 TB cases and provided them with TB treatment.
The majority of the TB cases (70%) were detected through active case finding.
The Klibur Domin TB programme is funded by Global Fund and the Korean government through its agency KOICA in Timor-Leste. The KDTB team is expecting more TB cases will be detected in 2023 which will contribute to the efforts of ending TB in Timor-Leste.