Pragmatic tuberculosis prevention policies for primary care in low- and middle-income countries

Despite being a curable and preventable disease, tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from infection worldwide and is one of the top 10 causes of death from any cause, including in children [1]. Incidence is at best barely declining, increasing in some countries, and some prevalence surveys in high-burden countries have demonstrated a significantly higher tuberculosis burden than estimated [1]. Between a quarter and a third of the world's population is estimated to be infected with tuberculosis, representing a vast reservoir from which new cases arise [1]. Many of these people are never identified or tested, and even among those who are, only a small proportion receive preventive treatment [2]. Interventions that aim to increase preventive treatment uptake and completion are likely to have a greater impact on tuberculosis control and elimination than those focussing on improving completion of treatment by patients [3]. Improving tuberculosis prevention in low- and middle-income countries requires scaling up of simple policies, not better laboratory tests http://ow.ly/VPLL30iPiZA