Vol. 1 No. 3 (2021)
Editorial

A Call to Action on World Tuberculosis Day

Published March 23, 2021

Key Messages

  • Tuberculosis (TB) is a preventable infectious disease that can be treated and cured, yet globally it claims a staggering 1.4 million lives every year and remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.
  • While the overall rate of TB is low in in this country, the disease disproportionately affects Canadian communities that experience higher rates of poverty, crowded living conditions, and poor access to health care.
  • World TB Day on Wednesday, March 24 is a global public health campaign marked by WHO and millions of others to raise awareness of the TB epidemic.
  • In view of the evolving evidence landscape and to meet the needs of pan-Canadian decision-makers, CADTH has undertaken its first condition-level review on the topic of TB. Rather than assess a single diagnostic test or therapy, we are supporting the overall managementof TB along the continuum of care by delivering evidence on a range of technologies that span prevention, identification, treatment, and management.