Evaluation of new paediatric TB diagnostic algorithms | Sofia Payotte & Giulia Scarpa
To tackle the under-diagnosis of tuberculosis in children, the WHO recently issued new recommendations, including new treatment decision algorithms and shorter treatment strategies.
The TACTiC project - Test, Avoid, Cure TB in Children - launched at the end of 2023 by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), plans to implement recommendations in 12 countries in Africa and Asia. These algorithms, although relatively simple and not requiring complex laboratory analyses, remain largely under-utilized and have not yet been evaluated. As part of TACTiC, Epicentre will coordinate operational research to assess their performance and acceptability. Discover the initial results of the qualitative study carried out in nine health facilities in Uganda, Niger and Guinea.
The new WHO algorithms to diagnose TB in children are user-friendly for health workers. However, several structural and socio-cultural factors influence their longer-term use.
