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Inclusion for every child: reaching every child affected by tuberculosis [1]

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Date: 2024-11

Almost 200 000 children lost their lives to tuberculosis (TB) in 2023, most of whom were under 5 years of age. Many more children were close contacts of people with TB and are therefore at risk of falling ill from this preventable and curable disease. Every child has the right to quality health care, including the 1.25 million children and young adolescents who fell ill with TB in 2023.



The theme of this year’s World Children’s Day, “Inclusion for every child”, is particularly relevant given the significant gaps in access to TB prevention and diagnostic services for TB in children. At the 2023 United Nations High Level Meeting on the Fight Against TB, Member States committed to strengthening comprehensive care for all people with TB, including providing nutritional, mental health and psychosocial support, social protection, palliative care, as well as management of TB-associated impairment during and after TB disease. Member States also committed to improving equitable access to TB services, including to formulations of TB medicines for children and TB vaccines, when they become available.



According to the recently released WHO Global Tuberculosis Report, in 2023 almost 700 000 children and young adolescents (0–14 years) were notified with TB, which is the highest number ever reported. However, nearly 50% of children with TB remain undiagnosed, untreated and at risk of losing their lives. The number of children diagnosed and treated for drug-resistant TB has stagnated, with only 3850 out of an estimated 30 000 children and young adolescents (0–14 years) reported to WHO, and only 42% of eligible household contacts aged under 5 years receiving TB preventive treatment. Fortunately, TB treatment outcomes are good in children and 90% of children who were put on treatment had a successful TB treatment outcome. In addition, as reported by 19 out of 30 TB/HIV high burden countries, over 90% of children living with HIV associated TB were receiving anti-retroviral treatment in 2023.



"We are reaching more children and adolescents with TB than ever before with WHO-recommended diagnostics and treatment that is helping them achieve excellent outcomes," said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Programme. "Yet, this is not enough. We must act with urgency to ensure every child and adolescent with TB – or at risk of it – is diagnosed promptly, receives effective treatment, and has access to TB preventive care. They deserve to benefit from the latest innovations, the highest standards of care, and the social protection their families need to thrive."



The World Health Organization continues to work with all stakeholders, including children, their families and civil society to ensure inclusion for every child in the global TB response. In 2023, WHO published the updated Roadmap towards ending TB in children and adolescents (third edition), which includes 10 key actions to further accelerate progress and to effectively address the persistent policy–practice gaps. Implementation of these key actions is expected to lead to finding and treating of more children and adolescents with TB disease or TB infection, to prevent TB, to improve treatment outcomes and prevent TB-associated disability. The status of the implementation of the key actions as included in the 2023 Roadmap was reviewed in November 2024 during the annual meeting of the TB Child and Adolescent TB Working Group. WHO has also recently released training modules on the management of TB in children and adolescents which are freely available in English (and soon in French) at the OpenWHO End TB Channel. Using the latest learning principles, the e-courses include a combination of videos, presentations, quizzes and case studies. The courses are fully aligned to the Roadmap, WHO’s operational handbook on tuberculosis: management of TB in children and adolescents and other WHO guidance documents.



WHO is also engaging with young people and amplifying their voices to end TB through WHO’s 1+1 initiative. Youth can have a multiplier effect in the fight to end TB, accelerating progress towards reaching the ambitious 2023 targets of the UN high-level meeting on ending TB and the larger goal of ending TB by 2030. The 1+1 initiative relies on small actions that young people can excel at.



On World Children’s Day 2024, under the banner of inclusion for every child, WHO is making an urgent call for united action to ensure that no child or adolescent's life or future is threatened by TB – a disease that is both preventable and curable.

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[1] Url: https://www.who.int/news/item/20-11-2024-inclusion-for-every-child--reaching-every-child-affected-by-tuberculosis

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