March 24: World Tuberculosis Day

Tuberculosis affects millions of people worldwide every year. With World Tuberculosis Day (March 24) just a few days away, the Directorate General for Health, Santé publique France, and the National Reference Center for Mycobacteria and Mycobacterial Resistance are organizing an information and discussion day on tuberculosis on Wednesday, March 27.

This seventh national conference on tuberculosis will provide an opportunity to discuss the implementation of key actions to end tuberculosis as a public health problem, focusing on recommendations, surveillance challenges, the organization of tuberculosis control efforts, and the adaptation of practices. It will also be an opportunity to bring together all stakeholders in the fight against tuberculosis to share information and experiences at the regional and departmental levels.

Background on the disease

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by a bacillus (mycobacterium of the tuberculosis complex) that most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary tuberculosis) but can also affect other organs (extrapulmonary tuberculosis). Transmission occurs through the air, via the dispersion of droplets of bronchial secretions from an infectious patient, particularly when they cough. Tuberculosis has been a notifiable disease in France since 1964. It is a preventable and curable disease.

2017 Figures, France: A Significant Increase

  • The number of tuberculosis cases has increased significantly, with an incidence of 7.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 7.1 per 100,000 in 2015 and 7.2 per 100,000 in 2016,

  • There are significant regional disparities, with an incidence of 32.5 per 100,000 in French Guiana, 15.8 per 100,000 in the Île-de-France region, and 14.0 per 100,000 in Mayotte, which continue to have the highest reported rates.

  • As in previous years, there are significant sociodemographic disparities. Cases are concentrated among people born outside France, accounting for 63% of cases, and particularly among sub-Saharan Africans (30% of cases), among whom reporting rates are very high and rising [108 per 105 in 2015, 130 per 105 in 2017]. People experiencing homelessness are also a particularly affected population group [167/105 in 2015, 202/105 in 2017],

World Tuberculosis Day

Every year on March 24, we observe World Tuberculosis Day to raise public awareness of the devastating health and socioeconomic consequences of this disease, and to intensify efforts to end the global tuberculosis epidemic. This date marks the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacillus responsible for tuberculosis, thereby paving the way for the diagnosis and cure of the disease.

Learn more:

https://www.who.int/fr/who-campaigns/world-tb-day/world-tb-day-2019