Global adoption of 6-month drug-resistant TB regimens: Projected uptake by 2026.

Background: The WHO has issued a call to action urging countries to accelerate the rollout of new WHO-recommended shorter all-oral treatment regimens for drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), which remains a public-health crisis. The all-oral, 6-month BPaL/M regimen comprises 3-4 drugs: pretomanid used in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid, with or without moxifloxacin. This regimen has been recommended by the WHO for use in DR-TB patients instead of ≥9-month (up to 24-month) regimens.

The Cost-Effectiveness of the BEAT-TB Regimen for Pre-Extensively Drug-Resistant TB.

Objective: To measure the economic impacts of the longer pre-XDR-TB treatment regimen and the shorter BEAT-TB India regimen.

Methods: In the current study, the economic impacts of the current 18-month pre-XDR-TB treatment regimen and the 6-9 month BEAT-TB regimen were evaluated using an economic model via a decision tree analysis from a societal perspective. The incremental costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained from the introduction of the BEAT-TB regimen for pre-XDR-TB patients were estimated.

Exploring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tuberculosis Care and Prevention.

The COVID-19 pandemic has set back the global tuberculosis (TB) response by several years. In 2020, access to TB prevention and care declined sharply, with TB notifications dropping by 18% compared to 2019. Declines were more pronounced in children, with a 24% drop in 0-14 year-olds and a 28% drop in 0-4 year-olds.

Turning threats into opportunities: how to implement and advance quality TB services for people with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Introduction: Until COVID-19, tuberculosis (TB) was the leading infectious disease killer globally, disproportionally affecting people with HIV. The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the gains made in the fight against both diseases.

Discussion: Although crucial guidance has been released on how to maintain TB and HIV services during the pandemic, it is acknowledged that what was considered normal service pre-pandemic needs to improve to ensure that we rebuild person-centred, inclusive and quality healthcare services.

Recovering from the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Accelerating to Achieving the United Nations General Assembly Tuberculosis Targets.

In 2020, the novel COVID-19 pandemic replaced TB as the world's top cause of death from an infectious disease. The October 21, 2020 the UN Secretary-General report on progress towards implementation of the UNHLM political declaration on TB stresses that although high-level commitments and targets had galvanized global and national progress towards ending TB, urgent and more ambitious investments and actions were required, especially in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic where associated public health measures and travel restrictions, have disrupted health services universally. The report sets out 10 priority recommendations to get the world on track to reach agreed targets by 2022.

The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tuberculosis epidemic a modelling analysis.

Background: Routine services for tuberculosis (TB) are being disrupted by stringent lockdowns against the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus. We sought to estimate the potential long-term epidemiological impact of such disruptions on TB burden in high-burden countries, and how this negative impact could be mitigated.

Methods: We adapted mathematical models of TB transmission in three high-burden countries (India, Kenya and Ukraine) to incorporate lockdown-associated disruptions in the TB care cascade.

New opportunities in tuberculosis prevention: implications for people living with HIV.

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of mortality among people living with HIV (PLHIV). An invigorated global END TB Strategy seeks to increase efforts in scaling up TB preventive therapy (TPT) as a central intervention for HIV programmes in an effort to contribute to a 90% reduction in TB incidence and 95% reduction in mortality by 2035. TPT in PLHIV should be part of a comprehensive approach to reduce TB transmission, illness and death that also includes TB active case-finding and prompt, effective and timely initiation of anti-TB therapy among PLHIV.

Impact of involvement of non-formal health providers on TB case notification among migrant slum-dwelling populations in Odisha, India.

Background: Migrant labourers living in the slums of urban and industrial patches across India make up a key sub-population so far controlling Tuberculosis (TB) in the country is concerned. This is because many TB patients from these communities- remain under reached by the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) of India. This marginalized community usually seeks early-stage healthcare from "friendly neighbourhood" non-formal health providers (NFHPs).

Health extension workers improve tuberculosis case finding and treatment outcome in Ethiopia: a large-scale implementation study.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of death in Ethiopia. One of the main barriers for TB control is the lack of access to health services.

Methods: We evaluated a diagnostic and treatment service for TB based on the health extension workers (HEW) of the Ethiopian Health Extension Programme in Sidama Zone, with 3.

Feasibility of achieving the 2025 WHO global tuberculosis targets in South Africa, China, and India: a combined analysis of 11 mathematical models.

Background: The post-2015 End TB Strategy proposes targets of 50% reduction in tuberculosis incidence and 75% reduction in mortality from tuberculosis by 2025. We aimed to assess whether these targets are feasible in three high-burden countries with contrasting epidemiology and previous programmatic achievements.

Methods: 11 independently developed mathematical models of tuberculosis transmission projected the epidemiological impact of currently available tuberculosis interventions for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in China, India, and South Africa.

Testing Pooled Sputum with Xpert MTB/RIF for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis To Increase Affordability in Low-Income Countries.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem, with the highest burden occurring in low-income countries. In these countries, the use of more sensitive diagnostics, such as Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert), is still limited by costs. A cost-saving strategy to diagnose other diseases is to pool samples from various individuals and test them with single tests.

Comparative meta-analysis of tuberculosis contact investigation interventions in eleven high burden countries.

Background: Screening of household contacts of tuberculosis (TB) patients is a recommended strategy to improve early case detection. While it has been widely implemented in low prevalence countries, the most optimal protocols for contact investigation in high prevalence, low resource settings is yet to be determined. This study evaluated contact investigation interventions in eleven lower and middle income countries and reviewed the association between context or program-related factors and the yield of cases among contacts.

A pragmatic approach to measuring, monitoring and evaluating interventions for improved tuberculosis case detection.

The inability to detect all individuals with active tuberculosis has led to a growing interest in new approaches to improve case detection. Policy makers and program staff face important challenges measuring effectiveness of newly introduced interventions and reviewing feasibility of scaling-up successful approaches. While robust research will continue to be needed to document impact and influence policy, it may not always be feasible for all interventions and programmatic evidence is also critical to understand what can be expected in routine settings.