The purpose of this handbook is to bring together in summarized form the issues, recommended strategies and practical measures involved in addressing each of the components of the WHO Stop TB Strategy. This handbook has been prepared principally for use by national TB control programme managers and staff, as well as partner organizations and professionals involved in implementing TB control activities. Readers are provided with a concise account of the essential elements of a comprehensive TB control programme and an overview of the full range of activities that need to be implemented to achieve the TB control targets set for 2015. An adequate strategy for the control of tuberculosis (TB) globally calls for a comprehensive approach to address all of the main constraints facing TB control, including emerging challenges, as well as the main risk factors influencing the incidence of TB. Consequently, the scope of activities undertaken by national TB control programmes has greatly increased

There have been calls to revisit the experiences of TB screening campaigns that were widely applied in Europe and North America in the mid-20th century, as well as more recent experiences with TB screening in countries with a high burden of the disease, and to assess their possible relevance for TB care and prevention in the 21st century. In response, WHO has developed guidelines on screening for active TB. An extensive review of the evidence has been undertaken. The review suggests that screening, if done in the right way and targeting the right people, may reduce suffering and death, but the review also highlights several reasons to be cautious. As discussed in detail in this book, there is a need to balance potential benefits against the risks and costs of screening; this conclusion is mirrored by the history of TB screening. This publication presents the first comprehensive assessment by WHO of the appropriateness of screening for active TB since the recommendations made in 1974 by the Expert Committee. However, the relative effectiveness and cost effectiveness of screening remain uncertain, a point that is underscored by the systematic reviews presented in this guideline. Evidence suggests that some risk groups should always be screened, whereas the prioritization of other risk groups as well as the choice of screening approach depend on the epidemiology, the health-system context, and the resources available. This book sets out basic principles for prioritizing risk groups and choosing a screening approach; it also emphasizes the importance of assessing the epidemiological situation, adapting approaches to local situations, integrating TB screening into other health-promotion activities, minimizing the risk of harm to individuals, and engaging in continual monitoring and evaluation. It calls for more and better research to assess the impact of screening and to develop and evaluate new screening tests and approaches.

The WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis. Module 2: screening – systematic screening for tuberculosis disease is an updated and consolidated summary of WHO recommendations on systematic screening for tuberculosis (TB) disease, containing 17 recommendations for populations in which TB screening should be conducted and tools to be used for TB screening. TB screening is strongly recommendations for household and close contacts of individuals with TB, people living with HIV, miners exposed to silica dust, and prisoners. In addition, screening is conditionally recommended for people with risk factors for TB attending health care, and for communities with risk factors for TB and limited access to care (e.g. homeless, urban poor, refugees, migrants). General population screening is recommended in high-burden settings (0.5% prevalence or higher). Symptoms, chest radiography (CXR), and molecular WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic tests for TB are recommended as screening tools for all adults eligible for screening. Computer-aided detection programmes are recommended as alternatives to human interpretation of CXR in settings where trained personnel are scarce. For people living with HIV, C-reactive protein is also a good screening tool. This guideline document is accompanied by an operational handbook, the WHO operational handbook on tuberculosis. Module 2: screening – systematic screening for tuberculosis disease, that presents principles of screening, steps in planning and implementing a screening programme, and algorithm options for screening different populations.

This manual is designed for health professionals working in high HIV and TB prevalence countries. It summarises the characteristics of both diseases and their interactions. It concentrates particularly on the problems of diagnosis and management both in adults and children and summarises the other HIV related illnesses the clinician might encounter.

The emergence of extensively drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis, especially in countries with a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, is a serious threat to global public health and jeopardizes efforts to effectively control the disease. This publication offers updated recommendations for the diagnosis and management of drug-resistant tuberculosis in a variety of geographical, economic and social settings, and the recording of data that enables the monitoring and evaluation of programs.--Publisher's description.

This is the second edition of a reference work aimed at all those concerned with dealing with tuberculosis control in developing countries. The book follows in the tradition of Kurt Toman's original work in this field, with the text set out in a question and answer format, grouped under three headings: case detection; treatment, and monitoring. The threat of tuberculosis is still potent, with two million deaths globally. This new edition, containing contributions from a number of experts in this field, addresses the resurgence of tuberculosis, and the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacilli, and the growth of HIV-infected individuals with tuberculosis, as well as recent scientific developments.

Tuberculosis emerged as an epidemic in the 1600s, began to decline as sanitation improved in the 19th century, and retreated further when effective therapy was developed in the 1950s. TB was virtually forgotten until a recent resurgence in the U.S. and around the worldâ€"ominously, in forms resistant to commonly used medicines. What must the nation do to eliminate TB? The distinguished committee from the Institute of Medicine offers recommendations in the key areas of epidemiology and prevention, diagnosis and treatment, funding and organization of public initiatives, and the U.S. role worldwide. The panel also focuses on how to mobilize policy makers and the public to effective action. The book provides important background on the pathology of tuberculosis, its history and status in the U.S., and the public and private response. The committee explains how the U.S. can act with both self-interest and humanitarianism in addressing the worldwide incidence of TB.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published an annual report on global control of tuberculosis (TB) every year since 1997. The main purpose of the report is to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic and progress made in TB care and control at global, regional and country levels. This fifteenth annual report contains more up-to-date information than any previous report in the series, following earlier data collection and the completion of the production cycle within a calendar year. This report includes the same wealth of information as previous reports in the series, but three new features are worth highlighting. First, the data are more up-to-date than those included in previous reports. Data up to and including 2009 are presented for almost all key indicators; financial data extend to 2011. Second, results from several analyses undertaken for the first time in 2010 are included. Examples are: (i) for each of the 22 high-burden countries (HBCs), trends in rates of TB incidence and mortality since 1990 combined with projections of whether the target of halving the 1990 mortality rate by 2015 will be achieved; (ii) estimates of the lives saved by TB control between 1995 and 2009 and projections of the additional lives that could be saved up to 2015, including separate estimates for women and children; (iii) assessment of progress in implementing and financing TB care and control against the targets included in a just-released and updated version of the Global Plan to Stop TB; and (iv) a new and compelling compilation of data showing the contribution that PP PP M can make to case detection. Third, country profiles are available for all countries (rather than the 22 HBCs only) and can be downloaded online at www.who.int/tb/data, always drawing on the latest data available in WHO s global TB database. Annex 1 explains the methods that were used to produce estimates of disease burden. Annex 2 contains summary tables that provide global, regional and country-specific data for the main indicators of interest. Country profiles for all countries are available online at www.who.int/tb/data; their content is advertised in Annex 3.