Scaling Up TB Free Initiative

Globally, TB is a major public health challenge. However, TB is preventable and usually curable disease. Caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it is spread when people who are sick with TB expel bacteria into the air. About a quarter of the global population is estimated to have been infected with TB. Drug-resistant TB continues to be a serious public health threat. More importantly, TB is a social disease and its understanding demands profound impacts of historical, social, cultural, and economic on individuals and communities. Needless to say, TB is a disease of poverty with prolonged socio-economic distress, vulnerability, marginalisation, stigma and discrimination. Therefore, it is necessary to consider differential effects of TB in terms of socio-economic status, gender, migration, and other socio-demographic variables.