Despite being a curable and preventable disease, tuberculosis (TB) remains as one of the major challenges for health systems, globally. Every year, TB
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affects more than 10 million people and kills more than 1.4 million people. WHO’s Digital Health for the End TB Strategy – an Agenda for Action outlines a conceptual framework in which advantageously positioned digital health solutions are matched to the most urgent needs of TB programmes. Video-supported treatment is a component of one of the four core functions of this framework, the Patient Care domain, and primarily supports the first pillar of the End TB Strategy. This quick guide provides information on the solutions available for asynchronous modes of video communication and how these can be of use to TB programmes.
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The WHO South-East Asia (SEA) Region bears a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) and MDR-TB. In 2015, the Region accounted for nearly 200 000 or 35%
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of the global estimated new RR/MDR-TB cases eligible for treatment. Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDRTB) has also been reported from six countries of the SEA Region. MDR-TB could potentially replace drug-susceptible TB, and constitutes a threat to global public health security. The South- East Asia Regional Response Framework for DR-TB 2017–2021 complements the Ending TB in the South-East Asia Region: Regional Strategic Plan 2016–2020” and outlines key strategies for reducing morbidity, mortality and transmission of DR-TB.
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In 2016 CRS leveraged the robust infrastructure of its large, multi-sectoral orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) program in Nigeria by expanding the program's core mandate to include community childhood
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TB casefinding, with a focus on highly vulnerable children and their caregivers
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In 2017, 3.6 million of the estimated 10 million people with TB worldwide were “missed” by national TB programmes (NTPs). Two thirds
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of them are thought to access TB treatment of questionable quality from public and private providers who are not engaged by the NTP. The quality of care provided in these settings is often not known or substandard. Closing these gaps and ensuring patient-centred care imply that quality-assured and affordable TB services must be made available wherever people choose to seek care.
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Adapted from a fact sheet on TB from the International Council of Nurse’s Global TB/MDR-TB Res
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ource Centre at: http://www.icn.ch/tb/stigma.htm.
Accessed November 2017
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Joint Press Release
Stockholm/Copenhagen 20/03/2017
This Rapid Communication aims to inform national TB programmes and other stakeholders about the key implications of the latest evidence on the use of
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specific molecular assays as initial diagnostic tests of pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB and RR-TB, in adults and children.
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The practical guidance in the operational handbook aims to inform the development or revision of national policies and related implementation guidance on the management of
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TB in children and adolescents under programmatic circumstances and at different levels of the health system. The operational handbook can also help countries adequately plan for the uptake of interventions to better address the specific needs of children and adolescents with or at risk of TB. It can contribute to national efforts to build capacity among national and subnational programme managers and among health workers at all levels of the health care system.
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Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has significantly helped in early diagnosis and commencement of specific interventions for diseases control. It also plays a critical role in understanding the
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disease epidemiology and unraveling the transmission dynamics of the disease. This manual intends to provide primary guidelines to assist health lab personnel in developing countries to establish a PCR diagnostic facility for efficient support to patient care as well as public health actions.
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NSP Review
Engaging with South Africa’s National Strategic Plan for HIV, STIs and TB Edition 7 July – August 2013
A publication of the Treatment Action Campaign and SECTION27
GeneXpert: An
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imperfect rollout
TB in South African prisons: Where to now?
Decentralising DR-TB care: How far along are we?
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The third edition, released in 2018, has grown to include a total of 18 chapters, contributed by 20 experts and authors from many countries. The goal remains the same: to educate primary care providers on the best practices in
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TB diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. All articles are richly illustrated, and most include quizzes and CME questions for self learning. The 3rd edition includes new chapters on MDR-TB, adverse effects of TB drugs, adherence monitoring strategies, and nutritional support. There is also content on how to manage children with TB, care for patients co-infected with TB and HIV, how to read and interpret chest x-rays, and how to avoid common pitfalls in TB management.
To download book chapters or the whole book go to the website: http://www.letstalktb.org/download/
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Journal of Tuberculosis Research, 2017, 5, 189-200
Background: In Benin, little is known about the influence of both gender and
HIV-status on diagnostic patterns and treatment outcomes
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of Tuberculosis
(TB) patients. Objective: To assess whether differences in gender and HIV
status affect diagnostic patterns and treatment outcomes of TB patients. Methods:
Retrospective cohort study of patients registered in 2013 and 2014 in
the three largest TB Basic Management Units in south Benin. Results: Of 2694
registered TB patients, 1700 (63.1%) were male. Case notification rates were
higher in males compared with females (96 vs 53/100,000 inhabitants). The
male to female ratio was 1:1 in HIV positive patients, but was 2:1 among HIV
negative cases. In HIV-positive patients, there were no differences in TB types
between men and women. In HIV-negative patients, there were significantly
higher proportions of females with clinically diagnosed pulmonary TB (p =
0.04) and extrapulmonary TB (p < 0.001). Retreatment TB was 4.65 times
higher amongst males compared with females. For New bacteriologically confirmed
pulmonary TB, no differences were observed in treatment outcomes
between genders in the HIV positive group; but significantly more unfavorable
outcomes were reported among HIV negative males, with higher rates of
failure (p < 0.001) and loss-to-follow up (p = 0.02). Conclusion: The study
has shown that overall TB notification rates were higher in males than in females
in south Benin, with more females co-infected with HIV. Unfavorable outcomes were more common in HIV-negative males.
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These updates include shorter novel 6-month all-oral regimens for the treatment of multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB), with or with
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out additional resistance to fluoroquinolones (pre-XDR-TB) as well as an alternative 9-month all-oral regimen for the treatment of MDR/RR-TB.
This Rapid Communication is released in advance of updated WHO consolidated guidelines expected later in 2022, to inform national TB programmes and other stakeholders of key changes in the treatment of DR-TB and to allow for rapid transition and planning at the country level.
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“It has never been more urgent for us to come together to end HIV and tuberculosis. We achieve the most when we work together, using all of our strengths, harnessing all of our collective potentia
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l to end HIV and tuberculosis for a healthier world as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.” —Michel Sisibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS
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Because of the limited access to more powerful diagnostic tools, there is a paucity of data regarding the burden of fungal infections in Burkina Fa
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so. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence and prevalence of serious fungal infections in this sub-Saharan country. We primarily used the national demographic data and performed a PubMed search to retrieve all published papers on fungal infections from Burkina Faso and its surrounding West African countries. Considering the prevalence of HIV infection (0.8% of the population) and a 3.4% incidence of cryptococcosis in hospitals, it is estimated that 459 patients per year develop cryptococcosis. For pneumocystosis, it is suggested that 1013 new cases occur every year. Taking into account the local TB frequency (population prevalence at 0.052%), we estimate the prevalence of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis at 1120 cases. Severe forms of asthma with fungal sensitization and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis are estimated to affect 7429 and 5628 cases, respectively. Vulvovaginal candidiasis may affect 179,000 women, and almost 1,000,000 children may suffer from tinea capitis. Globally, we estimate that roughly 1.4 million people in Burkina Faso (7.51% of the population) suffer from a serious fungal infection. These data should be used to drive future epidemiological studies, diagnostic approaches, and therapeutic strategies.
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The roadmap describes the actions needed to
achieve the three development goals for TB
vaccines set by the WHO:
1. A safe, effective and affordable TB vaccine
for adolescents and adults.
2. An
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affordable TB vaccine for neonates and
infants with improved safety and efficacy.
3. A therapeutic vaccine to improve TB
treatment outcomes
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The Guidelines for the Prevention, Surveillance and Management of COVID-19 Infection amongst Health Care Workers (HCW) in Zimbabwe were developed to prevent, detect and manage HCW COVID-19 infection, an emerging pandemic affecting the whole world. T
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he HCW is at the fore front of this pandemic, thus the need for standardised operating procedures is of utmost importance. These guidelines therefore seek to reduce the significant morbidity and mortality among the HCW, ultimately ensuring the reduction of the cost to the health care worker and the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) as a whole. The Ministry of Health and Child Care requires that all health care workers in various health care settings follow infection prevention and control procedures.
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In response to the recent publication “Is onchocerciasis elimination in Africa feasible by 2025: a perspective based on lessons learnt from the African control programmes” by Dadzie et al., it is important to clarify and highlight the positive a
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nd unequivocal research and operational contributions from the American experience towards the worldwide elimination of human onchocerciasis (river blindness).
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Este documento brinda orientaciones y directrices técnicas para mantener las acciones para la prevención y control de la tuberculosis (TB), ante la coyuntura que representa la pandemia del COVID-1
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9 en Colombia, de conformidad con las directrices y recomendaciones emitidas por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) y demás organismos internacionales, que generan recomendaciones en la respuesta integrada a estos eventos de alto impacto para la salud pública. Estas recomendaciones están dirigidas a los diferentes agentes del sistema de salud tales como: entidades territoriales del orden departamental, municipal y distrital, empresas administradoras de planes de beneficios, prestadores de servicios de salud, trabajadores de la salud, agentes comunitarios y demás implicados en las acciones para la prevención y control de la tuberculosis y el COVID-19.
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The objectives of the meeting were:
1. To step up the commitment of national authorities and technical and financial partners toWHO’s elimination objective for g-HAT.
2. To share achievements, c
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hallenges and views on the elimination goal among countries and implementing partners.
3. To assess the status of critical technical aspects to be solved in research and development of drugs and diagnostic tools, epidemiology, vector control and animal reservoirs.
4. To define the mechanisms for strengthening and organizing collaboration and coordination among stakeholders.
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