TB Treatment to Be Shortened to 4 Months for Most Children SpotlightNSP: SouthAfrica
To ensure that scientific advances in childhood TB are reflected in national policy and translated into practice, this week South Africa's national TB Think Tank - a network of experts who work closely with government on the country's national TB response - launched a paediatric, adolescent, and maternal TB working group within the Think Tank.
"Instead of now rewriting the entire paediatric TB national guidelines, we are going to focus on the priority areas and do it in a modular fashion," says Hesseling. Taking account of evidence from SHINE, the WHO published new recommendations for treatment of TB in children in March, recommending the use of four-month TB treatment regimens in children with non-severe TB.
"SHINE was extremely pragmatic. It just took the total of six months of treatment and just chopped off two months... everyone got the same treatment, it was just two months shorter in the one group," she adds. "Because it's two months less, it's also less of a burden to the clinic, because there are fewer clinic visits. So, it's a win-win. It costs less money for the family, and it costs less money for the government. Also, the new fixed-dose combinations are practical, affordable, and palatable in children," says Hesseling.
"We have included this in our TB Recovery Plan for implementation next year. Guidelines' revision and other preparatory activities are taking place this year," says Ndjeka. As Spotlight reported on Thursday, some details of the TB recovery plan were presented this week at the SA TB conference.She is talking about a learner who had to miss 2 years of school to go to a TB hospital.
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