An estimated 8.8 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) in 2010 and 1.4 million died from the disease. Although antibiotics to treat TB were developed in the 1950s and are effective against a majority of TB cases, resistance to these antibiotics has emerged over the years, resulting in the growing spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB. Due to challenges in timely and accurate diagnosis of drug-resistant TB, length and tolerability of treatment regimens, and expense of second-line anti-TB drugs, effectively controlling the disease requires complex public health interventions. The IOM Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation held three international workshops to gather information from local experts around the world on the threat of drug resistant TB and how the challenges it presents can be met. Workshops were held in South Africa and Russia in 2010. The third workshop was held April 18-19, 2011, in New Delhi, India, in collaboration with the Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Council of Medical Research. The aim of the workshop was to highlight key challenges to controlling the spread of drug-resistant strains of TB in India and to discuss strategies for advancing and integrating local and international efforts to prevent and treat drug-resistant TB. This document summarizes the workshop.

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death globally, particularly among children and young adults. The spread of new pathogens and the threat of antimicrobial resistance pose particular challenges in combating these diseases. Major Infectious Diseases identifies feasible, cost-effective packages of interventions and strategies across delivery platforms to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, malaria, adult febrile illness, viral hepatitis, and neglected tropical diseases. The volume emphasizes the need to effectively address emerging antimicrobial resistance, strengthen health systems, and increase access to care. The attainable goals are to reduce incidence, develop innovative approaches, and optimize existing tools in resource-constrained settings.

The emergence of extensively drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis, especially in countries with a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, is a serious threat to global public health and jeopardizes efforts to effectively control the disease. This publication offers updated recommendations for the diagnosis and management of drug-resistant tuberculosis in a variety of geographical, economic and social settings, and the recording of data that enables the monitoring and evaluation of programs.--Publisher's description.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published an annual report on global control of tuberculosis (TB) every year since 1997. The main purpose of the report is to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic and progress made in TB care and control at global, regional and country levels. This fifteenth annual report contains more up-to-date information than any previous report in the series, following earlier data collection and the completion of the production cycle within a calendar year. This report includes the same wealth of information as previous reports in the series, but three new features are worth highlighting. First, the data are more up-to-date than those included in previous reports. Data up to and including 2009 are presented for almost all key indicators; financial data extend to 2011. Second, results from several analyses undertaken for the first time in 2010 are included. Examples are: (i) for each of the 22 high-burden countries (HBCs), trends in rates of TB incidence and mortality since 1990 combined with projections of whether the target of halving the 1990 mortality rate by 2015 will be achieved; (ii) estimates of the lives saved by TB control between 1995 and 2009 and projections of the additional lives that could be saved up to 2015, including separate estimates for women and children; (iii) assessment of progress in implementing and financing TB care and control against the targets included in a just-released and updated version of the Global Plan to Stop TB; and (iv) a new and compelling compilation of data showing the contribution that PP PP M can make to case detection. Third, country profiles are available for all countries (rather than the 22 HBCs only) and can be downloaded online at www.who.int/tb/data, always drawing on the latest data available in WHO s global TB database. Annex 1 explains the methods that were used to produce estimates of disease burden. Annex 2 contains summary tables that provide global, regional and country-specific data for the main indicators of interest. Country profiles for all countries are available online at www.who.int/tb/data; their content is advertised in Annex 3.

This 2011 update of Guidelines for the programmatic management of drug-resistant tuberculosis is intended as a tool for use by public health professionals working in response to the Sixty-second World Health Assembly's resolution on prevention and control of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. Resolution WHA62.15, adopted in 2009, calls on Member States to develop a comprehensive framework for the management and care of patients with drug-resistant TB. The recommendations contained in these guidelines address the most topical questions concerning the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB: case-finding, multidrug resistance, treatment regimens, monitoring the response to treatment, and selecting models of care. The guidelines primarily target staff and medical practitioners working in TB treatment and control, and partners and organizations providing technical and financial support for care of drug-resistant TB in settings where resources are limited.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) are increasingly encountered in resource-limited settings. In the context of a national response to MDR- and XDR-TB, health workers in TB clinics (in district hospitals and some accredited health centers) will need to diagnose MDR-TB, initiate second-line anti-TB drugs, and monitor MDR-TB treatment. This Field Guide was created to help health workers carry out these tasks. It is a job aid that medical officers and TB nurses are meant to use frequently during the day for quick reference. It is based on the Emergency Update 2008 of Guidelines for Programmatic Management of Drug-resistant Tuberculosis, and may be considered a companion document to these guidelines. It also draws on the experience of the international health NGO Partners In Health (PIH) in many countries. This module should be introduced to health workers in the context of a training course with a strong emphasis on TB-HIV co-management.