Undernutrition is one of the key risk factors for tuberculosis (TB) disease. In 2022, undernourishment accounted for an estimated 2.2 million of the 10.6 million TB episodes globally. In light of new evidence on TB and undernutrition, WHO is convening a Guideline Development Group (GDG) meeting on TB and undernutrition, to be held in June 2024. WHO guidelines are developed using the GRADE methodology and are overseen by the WHO Guidelines Review Committee (GRC). The updated guidelines will be accompanied by an operational handbook which will contain practical advice and implementation considerations. Ahead of GDG meetings, WHO publishes the names of the persons invited to join the group, along with their biographies. Biographies of the GDG members for TB and undernutrition can be found at this link.
Integrated patient-centred care and prevention for TB and comorbidities such as undernutrition sits at the heart of the WHO End TB Strategy. In September 2023, the Political Declaration arising from the United Nations High Level Meeting (UN HLM) on the fight against TB reaffirmed the commitment to ending the TB epidemic globally by 2030. In the declaration, Member States committed to strengthening comprehensive care and integrating within primary health care the systematic screening, prevention, treatment and care of TB and for related health conditions such as undernutrition.
WHO's existing guidelines on Nutritional care and support for patients with tuberculosis include recommendations on nutritional assessment and counselling, management of moderate and severe acute malnutrition, and micronutrient supplementation for people with TB disease. They also contain guidance on providing nutritional assessment and support for household contacts of people with TB disease. Given the availability of new evidence on the relationship between TB and undernutrition, and on macro-, and micronutrient supplementation for people with TB disease, WHO's Global Tuberculosis Programme will update the guidelines and develop an accompanying operational handbook on the management of TB and undernutrition. The new guidelines will include the latest WHO recommendations on TB and undernutrition based on updated evidence.