Tuberculosis is a contagious air-borne disease and is described by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) as the world’s deadliest infectious killer.

Every day almost 4500 persons lose their lives to tuberculosis (TB) and close to 30,000 people fall ill with the preventable and curable disease.

While Saint Lucia has a low burden of TB, there is still a need for persons to remain vigilant against the spread of the disease. Annually Saint Lucia records less than 10 cases for every 100,000 persons in the population.

TB disease can have symptoms such as a cough for two or more weeks, bloody sputum, weight loss, night sweats and loss of appetite. Persons with TB infection but no active tuberculosis disease can be treated for latent disease.

The Acting Senior Medical Officer urges persons to get tested for the disease.

World Tuberculosis Day was celebrated on March 24, under the theme “It’s Time for Action - End TB.” The goal is to end TB by the year 2035.