NDWG Highlights - February 2023

A scoping review on the risk of tuberculosis in specific population groups: can we expand the World Health Organization recommendations?

Currently, only 11 high-risk categories are advised to get tested for and treated for tuberculosis (TB). According to this review, the WHO recommendations for TB infection screening and treatment could be expanded to include other potential high risks groups identified in this study. Check out this paper developed by the NDWG TB Infection Task Force.

Practical manual on tuberculosis laboratory strengthening updated to support the implementation of WHO-recommended diagnostics

The manual, which is an update of the GLI Practical Guide to TB Laboratory Strengthening published in 2017, is in line with the most recent WHO recommendations on new tools for diagnosing TB and identifying drug resistance. The manual includes an overview of the WHO recommendations and model algorithms as well as addressing key technical areas covering the TB laboratory network, quality management systems, sample collection and transport, biosafety, and operational management of a laboratory.