Open letter to WHO: Recording and reporting of preventive TB therapy in children

On World TB Day, March 24, 2015, members of the global childhood TB community sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) urging them to include the number of children under the age of five and the number of children with HIV screened for, started on, and completing preventive TB therapy in the annual Global Tuberculosis Report by 2016.

On April 16, 2015 the World Health Organization responded, specifying that the proposed priority list of indicators for monitoring the implementation of the End TB Strategy at global and national levels already attempts to address this issue, “Coverage for the treatment of latent TB infection (LTBI) is one of the priority indicators suggested.”

The WHO letter further states that the priority list of indicators will be discussed during this year’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Tuberculosis (STAG-TB) meeting, to be held in Geneva June 15-17. “A specific request will be made to STAG-TB members for advice and recommendations on the necessary adjustments in the recording and reporting of the priority indicators for the monitoring and implementation of the End TB Strategy, as well as effective mechanisms through which to implement these changes. Furthermore, the Global TB Programme will be establishing a Global LTBI Task Force whose mandate will include the monitoring and evaluation of treatment for LTBI.”

The TB community responded on May 11, 2015 by acknowledging the efforts already under way and requesting concrete additions to the priority list of indicators related to the monitoring and evaluation of screening and treatment for latent TB infection in children.