March 24, 2023
Dear Health Care Professional,
Each year, World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed on March 24. This annual event commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis (TB). World TB Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness about TB-related challenges and solutions to support worldwide control efforts. This year’s theme is: “Yes! We Can End TB”. The theme brings to attention that it is within our collective power to reach the global plan to end TB by 2030.
TB is preventable and treatable. A key to TB prevention is screening and preventive treatment (TPT) for those at risk of developing disease. Individuals considered at risk include newcomers from high TB-incidence countries (e.g., Africa, Eastern Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia), people who travel to high TB-incidence countries, and people with conditions that cause weakened immunity (e.g., HIV, receiving immunosuppressing drugs, etc.).
Additional information regarding screening and preventive treatment can be found on our website. We have also enclosed a TB caliper to assist in reading tuberculin skin tests (TSTs). As a reminder, any positive TST result must be reported to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) by using the enclosed TB reporting form, which can also be found at www.wechu.org/forms.
Join us in helping to #EndTB. For any questions regarding TB or to have your email added to our Communities of Practice mailing list, please contact the Infectious Disease Prevention Helpline at 519-258-2146, ext. 1420. The Community of Practice meetings are held quarterly and foster technical exchange, collaboration, learning, capacity building, and resource mobilization by providing a forum to enable information sharing and problem-solving relevant to the public health standards.
Sincerely,
Razane Diab, RN, BScN, MN
Manager, Infectious Disease Prevention
Windsor-Essex County Health Unit