Public Health Strategies and Prevention of Tuberculosis

Global tuberculosis control started in the 1990s as a basic, public health-driven approach to early diagnosis and treatment, and over time evolved to become an all-encompassing multisectoral patient-centered elimination strategy. In addition to BCG vaccination, there are currently three prevention strategies for tuberculosis: infection control, treatment of infectious pulmonary tuberculosis disease, and tuberculosis preventive therapy. Overseen by national tuberculosis control programs, critical components of tuberculosis control in low- and middle-income countries are rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis disease, first-line treatment with standardized drug regimens and outcome monitoring, drug resistance testing, and second-line treatment for patients with rifampicin- or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, systematic screening for tuberculosis disease, dealing with comorbidities including HIV, preventive treatment, surveillance, and social protection.