World TB Day 2023
Message of WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti
In 1882, when Robert Koch discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the microbe that causes tuberculosis, the disease sent shock waves throughout the world. Transmitted through droplets from sneezes, coughs, or talking, tuberculosis killed the rich and poor alike. In the century that followed, TB (short for tuberculosis) has been forced to retreat thanks to antibiotics and a vaccine that protected infants, and vibrant campaigns. Today, wiping it out completely is within reach.