TB treatment duration for most children to be shortened

Shorter treatment for non sever TB
Two thirds of children with tuberculosis have nonsevere disease, which may be treatable with a shorter regimen than the current 6-month regimen, according to research.
The WHO is expected to announce the shortening of the duration for treatment of children with TB.
This is according to findings in a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that the treatment duration for the majority of children with drug sensitive tuberculosis can be shortened from six to four months, thereby reducing the burden on families and healthcare systems around the world.
Principal Investigator, Professor Diana Gibb (MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL) said: “It is estimated that nearly one quarter of children with TB die, but the vast majority (90%) die because they are not diagnosed and started on treatment. A shorter treatment for children with non-severe TB allows savings of on average $17 (£12) per child, which can be used to improve the screening coverage and find the missing children with TB.”
Researchers from the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL worked with partners in South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and India on the SHINE study, the first randomised control trial to assess whether children with ‘minimal’ TB could be effectively treated with a shorter course of treatment.
until now their treatment length has been based on the results of trials in adults, requiring six months of a combination of daily medicines.
By contributing institutions EurekAlert and AAAS
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