Today is World Tuberculosis Day: TB incidence among children and adolescents is growing in Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
Today, March 24, many countries around the world are holding various events to mark World Tuberculosis Day. The event was established by the World Health Organization to commemorate the discovery of the tuberculosis bacillus by German physician Robert Koch on March 24, 1882.
Today, March 24, various events are taking place in many countries around the world on the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day, UNN reports .
The event was introduced by the World Health Organization on the occasion of the discovery of the tuberculosis bacillus by German doctor Robert Koch on March 24, 1882.
Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by the tubercle bacterium (Koch's bacillus), which is spread by airborne droplets and, less commonly, through household contact.
The pathogen is characterized by resistance and the possibility of a long stay in the body in anticipation of favorable conditions (poor nutrition, serious illness, poor sleep, stress, unsanitary conditions, smoking, alcoholism, etc.
It is believed that about one third of the world's population is infected with Koch's bacillus. Only a small proportion of infected people develop the disease. People with weakened immune systems are at increased risk of developing tuberculosis. A person with HIV is about 25 times more likely to develop active tuberculosis.
World Health Organization experts believe that the disease is among the ten most deadly diseases.
According to medical estimates, there are more than ten million people chronically ill with tuberculosis in the world. About 1.5 million people die from tuberculosis every year. More than 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
In 2014, the WHO announced an ambitious goal to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis by 80% and mortality by 90% by 2030.
The National Tuberculosis Day has been celebrated in Ukraine since 2002.
According to the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, in 2023, the number of newly registered cases of tuberculosis in Ukraine, including relapses, amounted to 19,851, or 48.4 cases per 100,000 people, which is 7.3% more than in 2022
The incidence rate of tuberculosis among children under 14 years of age was 10.4 cases per 100,000 children, an increase of 40.5% compared to 2022. The increase in the incidence of tuberculosis among children in 2023 is closely related to the deterioration of the epidemic situation among adults.
The incidence of tuberculosis among adolescents aged 15-17 increased by 55.3% compared to 2022.
Also today, phthisiologists celebrate their professional holiday.
Phthisiology is a branch of clinical medicine that studies the causes, patterns of spread and mechanisms of tuberculosis, the pathological processes in the human body caused by it and methods of its prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
