Protection from TB preventive treatment could wane after one year in high-burden countries: Study
A study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine indicates that tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) effectiveness wanes after one year in high-burden countries. While TPT remains a critical tool for global TB eradication, researchers suggest that high-burden regions may need to combine it with additional interventions for long-term success.
Why it matters
Understanding the duration of TPT efficacy is vital for public health strategies aiming to meet the WHO's 2035 goal of ending the global TB epidemic.
Effects of preventive treatment for tuberculosis could start to wane after just one year of completing the antibiotics course in high-burden settings, while the protection lasts for at least eight and 13 years in medium and low-burden countries, a study has found.
Findings published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine show that tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) offered a strong protection during the first 12-24 months across settings with all levels of TB burden.
Consisting of antibiotic medicines that can prevent inactive TB infections from developing into active disease, TPT is considered an important public health tool for protecting individuals and countries from the deadly infectious disease.
Preventive treatment can include medications, such as isoniazid and rifapentine -- typically prescribed for four months -- and is critical for the World Health Organization's goal to end the global TB epidemic by 2035.
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