On World TB Day (March 24th), Birmingham City Council is urging communities in the city to understand their risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB) and how to protect themselves and their loved ones.
An awareness campaign, launched in February, has been focusing on males aged between 25 to 34 years old, who were either born in or have lived in Pakistan, encouraging them to get tested and, if needed, treated for TB. This group has been identified by research as one of a number of communities at particularly high risk for contracting TB. Despite this increased risk, many within this demographic are less likely to get tested.
TB is an infection caused by bacteria that affects the lungs and other parts of the body. It is serious but can be cured with medication if detected and treated early.
The campaign’s central message -“Risk. Test. Protect.” – encourages individuals to visit testtoprotect.co.uk to determine their risk for TB, as well as Hepatitis B and C. The website offers information on how to get a free, confidential test, and underscores the importance of early detection in protecting both personal health and the health of their loved ones and their wider community.
World TB Day takes place each year on March 24th, the date in 1882 that Dr Robert Koch announced he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, and aims to raise awareness of the condition’s impact and step up efforts to eradicate it globally. This aligns with Birmingham’s own commitment to the Fast-Track Cities Plus (FTC+) programme, which aims to end new cases of TB, Hepatitis B and C, and HIV in the city.
Councillor Mariam Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care at Birmingham City Council, said: “World TB Day is an important reminder that there is still a lot of work to do to eradicate cases of TB globally, but that work starts with empowering people to understand their risk and then take the necessary steps to protect themselves and their loved ones through testing and treatment.
“This is the approach we are taking in Birmingham, encouraging communities identified as being at risk to find out if they could be living with TB without realising, and then enabling them to access the support and treatment they need.
“This is important any day of the year, not just on World TB Day, and I would urge those who may be part of an at-risk community to take that crucial first step and visit testtoprotect.co.uk to find out more.”