Puri: Internationally acclaimed sand artists Sudarsan Pattnaik and Manas Kumar Sahoo have sculpted sand sculptures on the eve of ‘World Tuberculosis Day’ at the sea beach here.
Both the sand sculptures convey this year’s theme of World TB Day “Invest to End TB. Save Lives”.
The theme focuses on the need for investments and resources that are required to eradicate this disease.
World TB Day is observed on March 24 each year to raise public awareness and understanding about one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers – TB and its devastating health, social and economic impact on people around the world.
March 24 marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.
Every day, over 4100 people die from TB and nearly 30 000 people fall ill with TB disease – despite it being preventable and treatable.
TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance.
World TB Day is an opportunity to focus on the people affected by this disease and to call for accelerated action to end TB suffering and deaths, especially in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
