Guide Note: World Tuberculosis Day is the celebration of Dr. Robert Koch's discovery of the cause of tuberculosis, the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Each year on March 24th, the anniversary of the discovery, World Tuberculosis Day acts as an educational reminder of the disease. More than one million people die each year from tuberculosis, most of them in Third World countries, making it one of the leading causes of death from an infectious disease worldwide.

Fast Facts:

1. March 24 annually
2. Established on the centennial of Koch's discovery 1882
3. Stop TB Partnership: Worldwide campaign to stop TB
4. 2006: Over 8 million cases surfaced
5. 1.6 million people die from TB each year
6. HIV treatment in Africa makes TB treatment difficult
7. Prominent cause of death worldwide

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