March 24, 2026
WHEREAS, World Tuberculosis Day is held each March 24 to commemorate the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced he discovered the bacteria that causes TB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which made future work possible to diagnose and cure TB; and,
WHEREAS, both TB infection and TB disease are now treatable and curable with antibiotics; and,
WHEREAS, TB primarily affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the spine, brain, eye or kidneys; and,
WHEREAS, the main symptoms of TB include feeling weak or sick, unintentional weight loss, fever, and night sweats and, if the TB bacteria are in the lungs, the symptoms include cough, chest pain and coughing up blood; and,
WHEREAS, TB is primarily spread when someone with TB disease in their lungs coughs, speaks or sings, and the bacteria are breathed in by other people nearby; and,
WHEREAS, in 2024 it was reported that 10,388 people in the United States were diagnosed with TB, and Michigan reported 165 people diagnosed with TB; and,
WHEREAS, in 2024, 68 people in Michigan were started on preventative treatment after being identified with exposure to TB disease, preventing future TB infection and disease; and,
WHEREAS, in 2024, four Michigan residents diagnosed with multidrug-resistant TB were provided lifesaving treatment; and,
WHEREAS, this March, we join with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to raise awareness of tuberculosis and the importance of diagnosing and treating TB disease and infection;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim March 24, 2026, as World Tuberculosis Day.
