Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is ‘one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide’ according to WHO. TB is studied at the microbiology level as well as at the physiological level. At the University of Leicester there is a dedicated group: The Leicester tuberculosis research group who work to integrate science and medicine to develop tools to overcome tuberculosis. This group contains basic scientists and academic clinicians.
Symptoms of TB can be found on the NHS website.
TB Day
WHO has developed a strategy to end TB by 2030, each year it commemorates World TB Day to raise public awareness in order to bring the global epidemic to an end.
The University of Leicester supported TB day on Sunday March 24 2019. Talks from several scientists took place including Dr Galina Mukamolova, reader in Microbial Physiology in Leicester's School of Respiratory Sciences.
Additionally Prof. Andrea Cooper starred in the American TB documentary 'The Forgotten Plague', which discusses the history of the disease.
Tuberculosis is a dreadful disease and a global health challenge which should not be underestimated. Its eradication is a colossal task and requires combined efforts from scientists, clinicians, patients and policy makers. Therefore the LTBRG focuses on raising public awareness about tuberculosis, promoting tuberculosis research and training new generation scientists.