09/10/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/10/2024 11:47
Overview
Addressing comorbidities and risk factors for tuberculosis (TB) is a crucial component of the World Health Organization (WHO)'s End TB Strategy. These consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis. Module 6: tuberculosis and comorbidities summarize the latest WHO recommendations on TB and key comorbidities. It is a living document and will include a separate section for each of the key TB comorbidities or health-related risk factors. This first edition focuses on interventions to address HIV-associated TB and is an update of the WHO policy on collaborative TB/HIV activities: guidelines for national programmes and other stakeholders. People with HIV are 12-16 times more likely to develop TB disease, have poorer TB treatment outcomes and have three-fold higher mortality during TB treatment compared to people without HIV. Despite advances in the screening, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of TB disease, TB remains the leading cause of death among people with HIV worldwide.
These consolidated guidelines are intended for use by people working in ministries of health, particularly TB programmes and the relevant departments or programmes responsible for comorbidities and health-related risk factors for TB, as well as programmes addressing mental health and lung health, implementing partners including technical and funding agencies, civil society and representatives of affected communities, clinicians and public health practitioners.