Extract
Ending the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic by the year 2035 is one of the most ambitious goals of the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO strategy is based on three major pillars: improving TB prevention and care, supporting bold policies, and enhancing research and innovation [1]. A better understanding of TB epidemiology, enhanced retention in care and employment of standardised regimens are mandatory to get closer to TB eradication both in low- and high-prevalence countries [2–5]. Mathematical modelling can be a useful tool to understand epidemiology and control of TB in low-prevalence countries, thus leading to better approaches in terms of public health interventions [6]. In this tough challenge for clinicians, the key actions are early diagnosis of TB patients with symptoms or signs suggestive for TB within migratory flux through a nation, and tracking of these patients as well as dealing with increased TB presentation in iatrogenically immunocompromised patients [7, 8]. Low-cost interventions aimed at improving patient-contacts recording, containing outbreaks, and enhancing adherence to diagnostic work-up and follow-up are welcome to better manage the disease burden [9]. Furthermore, a dramatic improvement in diagnostic paths and therapeutic approaches is needed nationally and globally to reach the WHO endpoint [10]. Therefore, healthcare providers who take daily care of TB patients require proper tools to access comprehensive data, for managing patients during follow-up, and for data collection and analysis in multicentre observational clinical trials (MCTs) [11].
Abstract
Time to change the single-centre approach to TB http://ow.ly/lCeM30hBcbB
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: None declared.
- Received August 2, 2017.
- Accepted December 7, 2017.
- Copyright ©ERS 2018
This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence 4.0.