This white paper released by Stop TB USA on World TB Day urges a more robust national TB response which focuses on diagnosing and treating latent TB to prevent future active cases.
“To eliminate TB as a public health threat and mitigate the risk of future outbreaks, we need to make screening and treatment more accessible for people living with TB infection before they progress to TB disease. Treating TB infection is the safest, cheapest, and most effective way to prevent this progression,” the paper says.
The paper references an Institute of Medicine study of TB in the U.S. which concluded that finding and treating the estimated 10-15 million people living with TB infection is essential to eliminating TB disease in the U.S. “The report found that the U.S. government could better prevent TB disease by improving screening and treatment for TB infection, specifically through efforts targeted toward those most at risk.”
To read the paper, click here.
Source: Science Speaks