What's new in childhood tuberculosis

Abstract

Purpose of review The current review identifies recent advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood tuberculosis (TB) with a focus on the WHO's updated TB management guidelines released in 2022. Recent findings The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected global TB control due to the diversion of healthcare resources and decreased patient care-seeking behaviour. Despite this, key advances in childhood TB management have continued. The WHO now recommends shorter rifamycin-based regimens for TB preventive treatment as well as shorter regimens for the treatment of both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB. The Xpert Ultra assay is now recommended as the initial diagnostic test for TB in children with presumed TB and can also be used on stool samples. Point-of-care urinary lipoarabinomannan assays are promising as ‘rule-in’ tests for children with presumed TB living with HIV. Treatment decision algorithms can be used to diagnose TB in symptomatic children in settings with and without access to chest X-rays; bacteriological confirmation should always be attempted. Summary Recent guideline updates are a key milestone in the management of childhood TB, and the paediatric TB community should now prioritize their efficient implementation in high TB burden countries while generating evidence to close current evidence gaps.