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Rapid expansion of the standardised approach to tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment that is recommended by WHO allowed more than 36 million people to be cured between 1995 and 2008, averting up to 6 million deaths. Yet tuberculosis remains a severe global public health threat. There are more than 9 million new cases every year worldwide, and the incidence rate is falling at less than 1% per year. Although the overall target related to the Millennium Development Goals of halting and beginning to reverse the epidemic might have already been reached in 2004, the more important long-term elimination target set for 2050 will not be met with present strategies and instruments. Several key challenges persist. Many vulnerable people do not have access to affordable services of sufficient quality. Technologies for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention are old and inadequate. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is a serious threat in many settings. HIV/AIDS continues to fuel the tuberculosis epidemic, especially in Africa. Furthermore, other risk factors and underlying social determinants help to maintain tuberculosis in the community. Acceleration of the decline towards elimination of this disease will need invigorated actions in four broad areas: continued scale-up of early diagnosis and proper treatment for all forms of tuberculosis in line with the Stop TB Strategy; development and enforcement of bold health-system policies; establishment of links with the broader development agenda; and promotion and intensification of research towards innovations.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had unprecedented negative effects on global health and economies, drawing attention and resources from many other public health services. To minimize negative effects, the parallels, lessons, and resources from existing public health programs need to be identified and used. Often underappreciated synergies relating to COVID-19 are with tuberculosis (TB). COVID-19 and TB share commonalities in transmission and public health response: case finding, contact identification, and evaluation. Data supporting interventions for either disease are, understandably, vastly different, given the diseases' different histories. However, many of the evolving issues affecting these diseases are increasingly similar. As previously done for TB, all aspects of congregate investigations and preventive and therapeutic measures for COVID-19 must be prospectively studied for optimal evidence-based interventions. New attention garnered by the pandemic can ensure that knowledge and investment can benefit both COVID-19 response and traditional public health programs such as TB programs.

Professional health associations increasingly serve as vital transnational actors in responding to global public health emergencies and shaping health system resilience. Their cross-border collaboration becomes especially critical in conflict-affected settings, where local infrastructure is overwhelmed, and international expertise, advocacy, and solidarity can bridge urgent gaps. In Ukraine, the intersection of war, health system disruption, and infectious disease threats has underscored the role of organizations such as the All-Ukrainian Association of Public Health Specialists (UPHA), the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), and the American Public Health Association (APHA). These associations contribute technical assistance, policy guidance, and emergency response and cultivate a shared professional culture and knowledge base that transcends national borders. While the role of professional health associations in routine healthcare delivery and advocacy has been previously explored in the literature, few publications have addressed their mobilization during acute crises—particularly in lower-resource or conflict settings. This comment responds to that gap by examining how professional associations act as platforms for coordinated response, capacity building, and health diplomacy during complex emergencies, with a specific focus on addressing infectious diseases in Ukraine. It draws on desk reviews, organizational reports, and authors’ insights to inform how these associations support infection prevention, biosafety, antimicrobial resistance surveillance, and the development of a resilient public health workforce—issues of global relevance that demand collaborative solutions.

Reexamining the prevalence of persons infected with tuberculosis (TB) is important to determine trends over time. In 2011-2012 a TB component was included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to estimate the reservoir of persons infected with TB. Civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population survey participants aged 6 years and older were interviewed regarding their TB history and eligibility for the tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) blood test. Once eligibility was confirmed, both tests were conducted. Prevalence and numbers of TST positive (10 mm or greater), IGRA positive, and both TST and IGRA positive were calculated by adjusting for the complex survey design after applying corrections for item nonresponse and digit preference in TST induration measurements. To examine TST positivity over time, data from NHANES 1999-2000 were reanalyzed using the same statistical methods. The TST was performed using Tubersol, a commercially available purified protein derivative (PPD), rather than PPD-S, which was the antigen used in NHANES 1999-2000. Prior patient history of TB vaccination was not collected in this study nor were patients examined for the presence of a Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin (BCG) vaccine scar. For NHANES 2011-2012, TST and IGRA results were available for 6,128 (78.4%) and 7,107 (90.9%) eligible participants, respectively. There was no significant difference between the percentage of the U.S. population that was TST positive in 2011-2012 (4.7% [95% CI 3.4-6.3]; 13,276,000 persons) compared with 1999-2000 (4.3%; 3.5-5.3). In 2011-2012 the percentage that was IGRA positive was 5.0% (4.2-5.8) and double TST and IGRA positivity was 2.1% (1.5-2.8). The point estimate of IGRA positivity prevalence in foreign-born persons (15.9%; 13.5-18.7) was lower than for TST (20.5%; 16.1-25.8) in 2011-2012. The point estimate of IGRA positivity prevalence in U.S.-born persons (2.8%; 2.0-3.8) was higher than for TST (1.5%; 0.9-2.6). No statistically significant decline in the overall estimated prevalence of TST positivity was detected from 1999-2000 to 2011-2012. The prevalence of TB infection, whether measured by TST or IGRA, remains lower among persons born in the United States compared with foreign-born persons.

On March 15, 2020 Puerto Rico implemented non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including a mandatory curfew, as part of a state of emergency declaration to prevent the community transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The strict enforcement of this curfew was extended through May 25, with a gradual relaxation beginning on May 1. This report summarizes an assessment of these early mitigation measures on the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic in the island. From March 15 to May 15, 2020, 70,656 results of molecular (RT-PCR) tests were reported to the Puerto Rico Department of Health. Of these, 1,704 were positive, corresponding to 1,311 individuals with COVID-19 included in the study. We derived the epidemic growth rates (r) and the corresponding reproductive numbers (R) from the epidemic curve of these 1,311 individuals with laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 using their date of test collection as a proxy for symptoms onset. Through May 31, 2020, there were 143 COVID-19 associated deaths in Puerto Rico, for a case fatality risk of 10.9%. We compared the observed cases and deaths with Gompertz model projections had the mitigation measures not been implemented. The number of daily RT-PCR-confirmed cases peaked on March 30 (85 cases), showing a weekly cyclical trend, with lower counts on weekends and a decreasing secular trend since March 30. The initial exponential growth rate (r) was 15.87% (95% CI: 7.59%, 24.15%), corresponding to R of 1.82 (95% CI:1.37, 2.30). After March 30, the r value reverted to an exponential decay rate (negative) of -2.95% (95% CI: -4.99%, -0.92%), corresponding to R of 0.93 (95% CI: 0.86, 0.98). We estimate that, had the initial growth rate been maintained, a total of 6,155 additional COVID-19 cases would have occurred by May 15, with 211 additional COVID-19 deaths by May 31. These findings are consistent with very effective implementation of early NPIs as mitigation measures in Puerto Rico. These results also provide a baseline to assess the impact of the transition from mitigation to subsequent containment stages in Puerto Rico.

Background. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) has emerged as a global epidemic, with ∼ 425,000 new cases estimated to occur annually. The global human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection epidemic has caused explosive increases in TB incidence and may be contributing to increases in MDR-TB prevalence. Methods. We reviewed published studies and available surveillance data evaluating links between HIV infection and MDR-TB to quantify convergence of these 2 epidemics, evaluate the consequences, and determine essential steps to address these epidemics. Results. Institutional outbreaks of MDR-TB have primarily affected HIV-infected persons. Delayed diagnosis, inadequate initial treatment, and prolonged infectiousness led to extraordinary attack rates and case-fatality rates among HIV-infected persons. Whether this sequence occurs in communities is less clear. MDR-TB appears not to cause infection or disease more readily than drug-susceptible TB in HIV-infected persons. HIV infection may lead to malabsorption of anti-TB drugs and acquired rifamycin resistance. HIV-infected patients with MDR-TB have unacceptably high mortality; both antiretroviral and antimycobacterial treatment are necessary. Simultaneous treatment requires 6–10 different drugs. In HIV-prevalent countries, TB programs struggle with increased caseloads, which increase the risk of acquired MDR-TB. Surveillance data suggest that HIV infection and MDR-TB may converge in several countries. Conclusions. Institutional outbreaks, overwhelmed public health programs, and complex clinical management issues may contribute to the convergence of the MDR-TB and HIV infection epidemics. To forestall disastrous consequences, infection control, rapid case detection, effective treatment, and expanded program capacity are needed urgently.

In accordance with WHO guidelines, people with HIV infection in Botswana receive daily isoniazid preventive therapy against tuberculosis without obtaining a tuberculin skin test, but duration of prophylaxis is restricted to 6 months. We aimed to assess effectiveness of extended isoniazid therapy. In our randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial we enrolled adults infected with HIV aged 18 years or older at government HIV-care clinics in Botswana. Exclusion criteria included current illness such as cough and an abnormal chest radiograph without antecedent tuberculosis or pneumonia. Eligible individuals were randomly allocated (1:1) to receive 6 months' open-label isoniazid followed by 30 months' masked placebo (control group) or 6 months' open-label isoniazid followed by 30 months' masked isoniazid (continued isoniazid group) on the basis of a computer-generated randomisation list with permuted blocks of ten at each clinic. Antiretroviral therapy was provided if participants had CD4-positive lymphocyte counts of fewer than 200 cells per μL. We used Cox regression analysis and the log-rank test to compare incident tuberculosis in the groups. Cox regression models were used to estimate the effect of antiretroviral therapy. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00164281. Between Nov 26, 2004, and July 3, 2009, we recorded 34 (3·4%) cases of incident tuberculosis in 989 participants allocated to the control group and 20 (2·0%) in 1006 allocated to the continued isoniazid group (incidence 1·26% per year vs 0·72%; hazard ratio 0·57, 95% CI 0·33–0·99, p=0·047). Tuberculosis incidence in those individuals receiving placebo escalated approximately 200 days after completion of open-label isoniazid. Participants who were tuberculin skin test positive (ie, ≥5 mm induration) at enrolment received a substantial benefit from continued isoniazid treatment (0·26, 0·09–0·80, p=0·02), whereas participants who were tuberculin skin test-negative received no significant benefit (0·75, 0·38–1·46, p=0·40). By study completion, 946 (47%) of 1995 participants had initiated antiretroviral therapy. Tuberculosis incidence was reduced by 50% in those receiving 360 days of antiretroviral therapy compared with participants receiving no antiretroviral therapy (adjusted hazard ratio 0·50, 95% CI 0·26–0·97). Severe adverse events and death were much the same in the control and continued isoniazid groups. In a tuberculosis-endemic setting, 36 months' isoniazid prophylaxis was more effective for prevention of tuberculosis than was 6-month prophylaxis in individuals with HIV infection, and chiefly benefited those who were tuberculin skin test positive. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US Agency for International Development.

South Africa is home to the world's largest HIV epidemic. Throughout the world, incarcerated individuals have a higher prevalence of HIV than the general public, and South Africa has one of the highest rates of incarceration in sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of this, little has been published about the burden of HIV and how care is delivered in South African correctional facilities. To estimate the prevalence of people living with HIV and identify initiation and retention in the HIV cascade of care across five correctional facilities. Cross-sectional retrospective analysis of 30,571 adult inmates who participated in a tuberculosis screening and HIV counseling and testing campaign in South African correctional facilities (January 1, 2014-January 31, 2015). Descriptive statistics were used to estimate the proportion and 95% confidence intervals of HIV. Proportions of persons retained and lost at each step in the HIV cascade of care under this intervention were calculated. Poisson regression with robust variance estimates were used, and clustering by facility was accounted for in all analyses. In this setting, routine screening is recommended, and measures are needed to ensure that persons diagnosed are adequately linked to and retained in care.

Operational research in low-income countries has a key role in filling the gap between what we know from research and what we do with that knowledge—the so-called know–do gap, or implementation gap. Planned research that does not tangibly affect policies and practices is ineffective and wasteful, especially in settings where resources are scarce and disease burden is high. Clear parameters are urgently needed to measure and judge the success of operational research. We define operational research and its relation with policy and practice, identify why operational research might fail to affect policy and practice, and offer possible solutions to address these shortcomings. We also propose measures of success for operational research. Adoption and use of these measures could help to ensure that operational research better changes policy and practice and improves health-care delivery and disease programmes.

Tuberculosis has all but vanished from the U.S. public’s mind as a perceived threat, which jeopardizes the prospect of tuberculosis elimination in the United States. Critical ethical and policy questions must be addressed if elimination is to be pursued in earnest.