March 24 commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus. At the time of Koch’s announcement in Berlin, TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one out of every seven people. Koch’s discovery opened the way toward diagnosing and curing tuberculosis.
“Although many people view Tuberculosis as a disease of the past, its presence is still here and continues to be a major public health concern,” states Greenwich Director of Health, Caroline Baisley. “For this reason we must continue to follow this disease carefully, assure treatment and advocate prevention.”
Worldwide, TB continues to be the world’s deadliest infectious killer. Each day, nearly 4500 people lose their lives to TB and close to 30,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. Drug resistant TB, caused by inconsistent or partial treatment, is also a growing concern. According to the World Health Organization, in 2017, ten million people became sick with TB. Of them, 6.4 million people were officially recorded; however, 4.6 million people were either undetected or diagnosed but not reported.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a joint initiative “Find. Treat. All. #EndTB” with the Global Fund and Stop TB Partnership. The Greenwich Department of Health, Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and public health officials across the state and nation are joining in the campaign to bring an end to this public health epidemic. The campaign’s 2019 slogan is “It’s Time”. It’s time for action! It’s time to End TB.
Locally, the Greenwich Department of Health is participating in World TB Day through an interactive display available in the lobby of Town Hall on Friday, March 22. As part of the Department’s continuing efforts to educate the community about Tuberculosis treatment and prevention, a public health nurse from the Division of Family Health will be available from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. to answer questions regarding TB, provide printed information and other items created for World TB day. As part of the Infection Control Program, the Division of Family Health conducts skin testing and risk assessments during clinic hours, which are Monday, Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. and by appointment throughout the year on the 3rd floor of Town Hall.
The Greenwich Department of Health is responsible for local TB control efforts in the community and works with healthcare providers as well as state and municipal health departments in a variety of activities including monitoring new cases, assuring completion of treatment of disease, investigating and treating contacts who have been recently exposed and promoting screening for infection in a variety of settings. “Tuberculosis is both treatable and preventable,” states Deb Travers, Director of the Division of Family Health. “Our public health nurses play a vital role in the care and management of both active and latent TB. They integrate the core functions of public health by focusing on individuals, the community and health care systems to provide testing, coordinated care and health education for the residents of Greenwich.” Active surveillance to distinguish between the numbers of cases attributed to recent transmission from those more likely due to reactivation of longstanding, untreated latent TB infection is one of many tools state and local TB programs implement to prioritize effective public health interventions.
Progress is being made in the fight against TB. Since the year 2000, global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 54 million lives and reduced the TB mortality rate by 42%. However, in 2017 there were 9,093 new TB cases reported in the United States and Connecticut saw a 21% rise in the number of Tuberculosis cases.
For more information, contact the Greenwich Department of Health, Family Health Division at 203-622- 7852, go to stoptb.org or visit the Department of Public Health TB Control Program website at ct.gov/dph, click on Programs and Services, Tuberculosis.
