TB

This document describes the steps necessary to implement the shorter regimen and the new drugs for drug-resistant TB treatment, including diagnosis and bacterial confirmation of drug resistance, treatment regimen design, monitoring of treatment efficacy and safety, and programmatic evaluation.

This Latent TB Infection (LTBI) Treatment Fact Sheet Series is designed to complement patient education delivered by healthcare professionals. Each sheet provides patients with a written reminder of their treatment regimen, medication side effects, actions to take if side effects do occur, tips to help remain adherent to the medication, and instructions in the event a dose of medication is missed.

This guide provides an overview of TB diagnostic tools and suggests recommendations for how activists and clinicians can contribute to improved TB diagnosis.

This information sheet discusses the burden and challenges of TB in women. It states that TB is the second leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide.

This information sheet provides general information about TB is, how someone can be exposed and how to test for TB. It explains that TB is spread through the air after someone with TB disease sneezes, coughs, speaks, laughs, or sings. Latent TB infection is when TB germs live in the body without making the individual sick. If the germs become active, they cause TB disease. The two tests used to help detect TB are the skin test and a special TB blood test. Other tests include chest X-ray and sputum test.

This information sheet discusses the Xpert MTB/RIF Assay for diagnosing TB. It explains that the new test is a nucleic acid amplification test that diagnoses TB in less than 2 hours and can also determine resistance to rifampin, one of the drugs used to treat TB. The information sheet describes how the Xpert MTB/RIF assay works, its advantages, how the results should be interpreted, what it means if RIF resistance is detected, not detected, or is indeterminate. Addresses for additional information are provided.

This handbook provides information concerning the role of school nurses in the prevention, testing, and medical treatment of students with TB. The handbook is divided into three sections: TB Fundamentals with a particular focus on school-aged children; Applying TB Fundamentals in the school setting, which covers issues related to medication administration, treatment adherence, and directly observed therapy (DOT) in the school setting; and Appendices that include risk assessment guidelines, medication side effects, and templates for record keeping.