Written by Isobella Honeyborne, Aidan Hanrath and Santino Capocci (UCL Medical Sciences)

“The highest mountain in Africa is not Kilimanjaro but the TB mountain – and it’s more difficult to scale.” (Dr Steve Lawn).

The annual World TB Day marks the announcement by Robert Koch in 1882 of the discovery of the infectious cause of tuberculosis (TB). This was commemorated by UCL on Monday 25 March with a meeting of experts from London and around the world at the Royal Free Hospital.

‘Targeting zero deaths from TB: progress, reality and hope’ was hosted by UCL Professors Ali Zumla and Tim McHugh, and Dr Marc Lipman, North Central London TB lead and UCL Senior Lecturer.

The global theme picked up on a series of articles launched by The Lancet Infectious Diseases at the event.

The day was introduced by UCL President & Provost Professor Malcolm Grant with a theme that ran through the whole meeting – the need for an ‘integrated strategy’ to tackle tuberculosis. He highlighted UCL’s interdisciplinary strengths and important role in the global TB research effort.

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