World TB Day March 24th 2025
The theme of World TB Day 2025 - ‘Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver’, is a bold call for hope, urgency, and accountability.
World TB Day observed annually on March 24, amplifies the urgency of ending tuberculosis—once again the world’s deadliest infectious disease. TB continues to devastate millions globally, inflicting severe health, social, and economic consequences.
TB remains a significant public health issue both globally and in Ireland. Although there has been a significant decline in the incidence of TB in Ireland in recent decades, there were still 289 cases notified in 2024, equating to an incidence rate of 5.6 per 100,000 population. As a low-incidence country (<10 cases per 100,000), Ireland should be aiming to achieve the WHO End TB Strategy target of an 80% reduction in TB cases between 2015 and 2030. This would have equated to approximately 139 cases being diagnosed in Ireland last year, less than half of what was actually diagnosed. The COVID-19 Pandemic has adversely impacted on TB control both globally and in Ireland and a concerted effort remains necessary to get us back on target.
The latest data on Tuberculosis in Ireland: provisional trends in surveillance is available at: https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/vaccinepreventable/tuberculosistb/tbdataandreports/
To progress the fight against TB, last year the HSE published Striving to End Tuberculosis: A Strategy for Ireland 2024-2030. This is Ireland’s first National TB Strategy sets out the vision for a collaborative, multisectoral approach to TB control in Ireland.
Given TB is increasingly being seen among vulnerable and under-served populations in Ireland, we must remove any barriers to accessing TB care to reduce health inequities. This approach will ensure that people with TB have the best possible outcomes, a benefit to them but also protecting the wider population - “No One is Safe Until Everyone Is Safe”.
What is Tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis or "TB" is a disease caused by a bacterium (germ) called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB usually affects the lungs but it can also affect other parts of the body, including the glands, the bones and rarely the brain.
Tuberculosis used to be more common in Ireland. There were nearly 7,000 cases a year in the early 1950s. The incidence of TB has declined steadily since then. Detailed reports on the epidemiology of TB in Ireland are available on the HPSC website. Doctors are obliged to notify each case of TB to the local Departments of Public Health in the Health Service Executive.
TB disease is preventable and curable.
What are the symptoms of TB?
Symptoms of TB can include any of the following:
- Fever and night sweats
- Cough (generally lasting more than 3 weeks)
- Weight loss
- Blood in the sputum (phlegm) at any time
A person with any of these symptoms should visit their family doctor for advice. If someone has a reason to think that they might have TB, they should tell this to their doctor.
For more information about TB go to: https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/vaccinepreventable/tuberculosistb/
For more information about World TB Day go to: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-tb-day/2025