Railway
World TB Day is observed on:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option D — 24 March
Detailed Solution
World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed every year on 24 March to raise awareness about tuberculosis and efforts to end the disease.
Why 24 March:
On 24 March 1882, the German physician and microbiologist Dr. Robert Koch announced in Berlin that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, "Mycobacterium tuberculosis".
His discovery opened the way to diagnosing and treating the disease.
Koch received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1905.
World TB Day was first observed in 1982, on the 100th anniversary of Koch's discovery.
About tuberculosis:
- TB is an infectious disease caused by "Mycobacterium tuberculosis", which mainly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but can also affect other parts of the body.
- It spreads through the air when a person with active lung TB coughs, sneezes or spits.
- Common symptoms include a cough lasting more than two weeks, sometimes with blood, fever, night sweats and weight loss.
It is curable and preventable. It is treated with a combination of antibiotics for at least six months.
The BCG vaccine (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin), developed in France in 1921, is given to infants to protect against severe forms of TB.
Drug-resistant TB, such as MDR-TB, is a serious challenge.
TB is one of the world's leading causes of death from a single infectious agent.
TB in India:
- India has the highest burden of TB in the world, accounting for roughly a quarter of global cases.
- The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) was renamed the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) in 2020.
- The "DOTS" (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course) strategy was used to ensure that patients complete treatment.
- India set a target to eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global Sustainable Development Goal target of 2030.
"Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan" was launched in September 2022. Under it, "Ni-kshay Mitras" (donors) support TB patients with nutrition.
The Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana (2018) provides money to TB patients for nutrition.
Other health days:
- World Health Day: 7 April.
- World Malaria Day: 25 April.
- World AIDS Day: 1 December.
Why not the other options?
- ✗7 April is World Health Day.
- ✗25 April is World Malaria Day.
- ✗1 December is World AIDS Day.
Quick tip
Remember: World TB Day = 24 March (Robert Koch announced discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 1882); BCG vaccine; India's NTEP target 2025; World Malaria Day = 25 April.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Important Days & Dates Questions
View all ›- Q1.National Youth Day (12 January) is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of:
- Q2.The 'Beating Retreat' ceremony, held at Vijay Chowk on 29 January, officially denotes the end of:
- Q3.National Consumer Day is celebrated in India on:
- Q4.World Water Day is celebrated every year on:
- Q5.The first International Day of Yoga was celebrated on:
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Important Days & Dates — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Important Days & Dates, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers national and international days observed through the year, such as National Youth Day, World Environment Day and International Yoga Day, along with the themes announced for them and the events or people they commemorate. Questions ask for the date of a day, the day observed on a given date, or the person it honours (for example, National Sports Day on 29 August marks the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand). Revise days month by month in a calendar format. Themes change every year, so learn the current year's themes from current affairs. Practise the important days questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.