On Tuesday, March 27, 2012, members of the House, Senate, and the Medical Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Tuberculosis assembled in the State House to celebrate World No TB Day 2012 and to honor local men and women who made extraordinary contributions to protect MA communities from Tuberculosis.

The Medical Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Tuberculosis is a volunteer panel of physicians and other experts that advises the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on tuberculosis prevention and control.

This day commemorates the discovery of the bacterium (TB bacillus) that causes tuberculosis on March 24, 1882. Tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease, contracted through breathing air, and is often deadly if left untreated or partially treated. In an effort to eliminate this disease from the world, World TB day is designed to build public awareness that tuberculosis today remains an epidemic throughout the world, causing the deaths of several million people each year, mostly in developing countries.

The Cambridge Health Alliance received the Institutional Partner Award for its contribution in the efforts of eradicating Tuberculosis in our community. Thanks to the Tuberculosis Clinic in Cambridge, people infected with Tuberculosis receive the proper and necessary health care to ensure proper treatment and avoid the possibility of further transmission of the disease in the community.

The service of the Cambridge Health Alliance to the community has been essential in keeping our communities safe from the spread of the worldwide leading cause of death.  It is crucial that CHA receives the support it needs to fight the spread of TB and to provide the proper health services to those already affected.