WHO issues new guidelines on tuberculosis and undernutrition: key recommendations

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health threat, causing millions of deaths each year. It is caused by bacteria that often affects the lungs, adversely affecting populations struggling with poverty and undernutrition. Although preventable and treatable, a total of 1.25 million people are expected to die from tuberculosis (TB) in 2023.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released new recommendations on TB and undernutrition as part of its new consolidated guidelines. TBThe latest guidelines, released as part of WHO’s TB End Strategy, represent an important step towards addressing the determinants as part of people-centred care.

According to WHO, undernutrition is still a major cause of the TB epidemic worldwide, which increases susceptibility to disease, reduces treatment effectiveness and increases avoidable mortality. It may be possible to improve outcomes and save lives by addressing food insecurity and undernutrition in TB patients.

The new recommendations include providing food assistance to both TB patients and their household contacts in food-insecure settings.

Key recommendations include:

Nutrition Assessment and Counselling: with all the people TBThey should receive nutrition assessment and counseling along with their household contacts. It recognizes that a large proportion of people in families with TB may suffer from malnutrition.

Nutritional Interventions: Undernourished TB patients should receive nutritional interventions to improve clinical outcomes, regardless of age, drug resistance, or pregnancy status.

food aid: In food-insecure settings, providing food assistance to household contacts of TB patients is recommended to prevent TB infection.

According to Dr. Tereza Kaseva, Director of WHO’s HIV Division, tuberculosisHepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections, TB thrive on inequality, and undernutrition is a primary contributor.

“To end TB, we must address undernutrition and food insecurity as part of a comprehensive, household-focused response. Integrating nutrition into comprehensive TB care is essential to breaking the cycle of disease and poverty, and is an important step toward a world free from TB,” Kaseva said.

According to WHO, implementing the principles will require close collaboration with government departments and partners involved in nutrition care, food assistance and social welfare services. The revised guidelines will be supported by an operational guidebook to aid country-level implementation. This will include practical measures for stakeholder engagement and coordination, as well as how to integrate nutritional care and food assistance into TB care and prevention activities.