Screening for TB disease

Reaching all people suffering from tuberculosis (TB) is a critical step towards ending TB globally. Despite being largely curable and preventable, TB is still one of the top infectious killers worldwide. In 2019, an estimated 2.9 million of the 10 million people who fell ill with TB were never diagnosed or reported to the World Health Organization. Additionally, many with TB are delayed in seeking care or misdiagnosed before starting treatment.

The Political Declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2018 commits to diagnose and treat 40 million people with TB by 2022, therefore there is an urgent need to deploy strategies to improve diagnosis and care for people with TB who are currently being missed. A key strategy is systematic screening for TB disease among, which is a central component of the first pillar of the End TB Strategy.

WHO is supporting countries by providing updated evidence-based recommendations and implementation aids, including screening algorithms and web-based tools, to help countries conduct strategic TB screening interventions to find all people with TB. Screening for TB disease should also be coupled with the provision of TB preventive treatment to people at risk of developing TB disease.