16 September 2020: A nurse works in the room of a COVID-19 patient at the St. Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic in Bologna, Italy.
Treating tuberculosis
Every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis (TB). Despite being a preventable and curable disease, 1.5 million people die from TB each year. TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and also a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance.
TB disease is curable. It is treated by a standardized course of treatment usually including 4 antibacterial medicines. In some cases the TB bacteria does not respond to the standard drugs. In this case, the patient has drug-resistant TB. Treatment for drug-resistant TB is longer and more complex.
In order to provide Member States with the most up-to-date and accurate recommendations on the treatment of tuberculosis, WHO, through its various expert groups, regularly reviews evidence on current and new treatments to ensure that its recommendations are based on the most recent evidence. WHO also supports Member States to translate these recommendations into national policies as well as to ensure their effective implementation.
