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Resource | Guidelines,
In October 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an interim policy guidance on the use of delamanid in the treatment of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), a recommending that delamanid may be added to a WHO-recommended regimen in adult patients with pulmonary MDR-TB (conditional recommendation; very low confidence in estimates of effect), under five conditions: proper patient inclusion, adherence to the principles of designing a WHO-recommended MDR-TB regimen, close treatment monitoring, active pharmacovigilance and proper management of adverse drug reactions, and informed patient consent. This interim policy did not include children, because of the absence of data in this population. However, data describing safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics (PK) of delamanid in children with MDR-TB aged 6–17 years recently became available hence, WHO convened a Guideline Development Group (GDG) meeting on 29 June 2016 to review this evidence.
Resource | Fact Sheets,
Until recently, there was no appropriate first-line TB treatment designed for children. However, after sustained advocacy and new investment, now child-friendly formulations that do not need to be cut or crushed to achieve an appropriate dose are available, offering the opportunity to simplify and improve treatment for children everywhere.
The formulations were developed in line with the revised dosing published in the 2014 WHO Guidance on childhood TB through a project led by TB Alliance and WHO (Essential Medicines and Health Products department and the Global TB Programme), and funded by UNITAID and USAID.
The fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) are not new drugs, but rather improved formulations of currently used medicines recommended for the first line treatment of TB.
Resource | Publications,
Despite numerous international treaties and commitments to protect the health rights of migrants, this population still faces significant barriers in their access to TB care. Migration, which is driven by a number of complex economic, social, political and environmental factors, is a determinant of ill health, and the health outcomes of migrants are impacted by the various dimensions of the migration process. Migrants often arrive at their destination with low socioeconomic status, which makes them especially vulnerable to diseases such as TB. When accessing health care, migrants must contend with discriminatory policies and practices, poor availability of services, negative attitudes from health care workers, language barriers and stigma. TB does not stop at national borders, so policies to address TB in this population should not be constrained by local political concerns. There needs to be greater cooperation at the international level to improve TB surveillance, referrals and treatment across national health systems.
Resource | Publications,
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 were adopted by the United Nations in 2015. One of the targets is to end the global TB epidemic. The WHO End TB Strategy, approved by the World Health Assembly in 2014, calls for a 90% reduction in TB deaths and an 80% reduction in the TB incidence rate by 2030, compared with 2015.
This global TB report is the first to be produced in the era of the SDGs and the End TB Strategy. It provides an assessment of the TB epidemic and progress in TB diagnosis, treatment and prevention efforts, as well as an overview of TB-specific financing and research. It also discusses the broader agenda of universal health coverage, social protection and other SDGs that have an impact on health. Data were available for 202 countries and territories that account for over 99% of the world’s population and TB cases.
Resource | Guidelines,
The scope of the WHO treatment guidelines for drug-resistant tuberculosis, 2016 update thus differed from the one that guided the previous update of the WHO policy recommendations on the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB in 2011. It did not cover aspects of policy guidance on the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB that were of lesser priority or for which no new evidence has emerged since the 2011 revision. These included questions relating to the use of rapid diagnostics for RR-TB, the monitoring of response to treatment, the duration of longer (“conventional”) MDR-TB regimens, the delay in starting antiretroviral therapy in MDR-TB patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and models of care.
Resource | Fact Sheets,
A confluence of biologic and social conditions creates the ‘perfect storm’ for the interaction of silicosis, HIV and TB in the mining industry. This phenomenon is best documented in the mining industry of South Africa, but evidence is emerging that similar patterns are developing elsewhere. However, research outside of sub-Saharan Africa is sparse, thus limiting the understanding of the need for interventions.
Resource | Fact Sheets,
Ending the global TB epidemic is feasible with dramatic decline in TB deaths and cases, and elimination of economic and social burden of TB. Failure to do so will carry serious individual and global public health consequences.
To ensure full impact, actions must build on principles of government stewardship, engagement of civil society, human rights and equity, and adaptation to the unique context of diverse epidemics and settings.
Resource | Presentations,
Global Consultation on the Programmatic Management of Latent Tuberculosis Infection
Date: 27-28 April 2016
Venue: Hotel President, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Resource | Publications,
While HIV-induced immuno-suppression makes people living with HIV (PLHIV) extremely vulnerable to TB, stigma, absence of precise point-of-care diagnostics, and poor integration of TB and HIV services make TB particularly deadly for this population. Along with stigma, other factors such as gender, poverty and malnutrition promote delays in diagnosis, present barriers to treatment, and impact patients’ adherence to medications.
On the policy side, delay in the implementation of WHO recommendations, staff shortages and inefficient distribution of staff, along with poor collaboration between vertical TB and HIV systems, also delay delivery of urgent care to PLHIV with TB. Political will and collaborative efforts involving civil society organizations are an obvious necessity in order to achieve the ambitious goals to end both HIV and TB.
Resource | Infographics,
TB is curable, but 37,000 people die every year from this airborne disease in our region - that’s almost five deaths every hour. Despite the shocking statistics and the heart-wrenching stories, international financial support for TB programmes in the European region is declining. These factsheets give a snapshot view of the TB burden in the countries.