AGARTALA, March 24 (TIWN): The administration and health department organized rallies and awareness programmes to mark the world TB day on Tuesday. An awareness rally was taken out from IGM Chowmuhani and travelled through various routes of the city.

World Tuberculosis Day is celebrated on March 24 each year to create awareness and to urge people to be cautious and protect themselves from the lethal disease. The theme this year is “Reach the 3 Million: Reach, Treat, Cure Everyone”.

Speaking in the rally a health department officer said that more than 20,000 persons are daily infected by Tuberculosis and 1000 die every day due to the deadly disease. Most of the dead patients are those who left treatment midway as one such defaulting patient infects 15 to 20 more persons,” said the officer. DOTS’ is the certified and only available treatment for the disease.

The number of patients coming for treatment in hospitals has increased due to our awareness programmes, the officer said.

World Tuberculosis Day aims to raise awareness that tuberculosis remains an epidemic in much of the world, and is responsible for about 1.6 million deaths each year, mainly in the world's poorest countries.

Here are five lesser known facts about the disease:

TB is the second biggest killer next only to HIV/AIDS worldwide.

 In India, even today, one person dies every two minutes due to this menacing disease.

TB can be completely cured if proper and regular medication is taken.

Common symptoms of TB include cough that lasts for more than 3 weeks with sputum at times, pain in chest, weakness, weight loss and fever.

Maintaining good hygiene, eating lots of nutritious food and following a healthy lifestyle can help you keep tuberculosis at bay.