Tereza Kasaeva, WHO
Dear Partners, colleagues, and friends. I’m very pleased to join you virtually at this very important event to launch the 1/4/6×24 campaign call to action. The campaign is well aligned with our efforts to ensure no one is left behind in equitable access to TB prevention and care, in line with the WHO strive towards achieving universal health coverage.
Over the past eight years, the WHO Global TB Program significantly optimized its approaches for the guidelines development following the needs of TB patients, requests from the member states and the TB community to WHO, to recommend and accelerate access to the best and the most effective and innovative TB diagnostics, treatment, and prevention. WHO reviews new evidence as soon as it becomes available for the update of its guidelines. The process is more transparent and inclusive. Guidelines are consolidated and accompanied by operational handbooks and from the last year by online training courses. All the core guidelines are available in digital format at the WHO TB Knowledge Sharing Platform.
In 2020 WHO issued new guidelines on TB preventive treatment and recommends the use of the short regimens for the treatment of TB infection, including 1HP and 3HP with isoniazid and rifapentine. By World TB Day WHO released updated guidelines on the management of TB in children and adolescents. In May this year, WHO issued new guidelines on the treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosis and recommends the use of the 4-month regimen for the treatment of drug-susceptible TB with isoniazid, rifapentine, moxifloxacin, and pyrazinamide. Before the end of this year WHO will issue new guidelines on the treatment of drug-resistant-tuberculosis that recommends the use of a 6-month regimen for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis with bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid, and moxifloxacin. A rapid communication on this new regimen was issued earlier this year in May.
As highlighted in the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report this year, despite all the efforts, gaps remain in access to lifesaving prevention and care. We need to urgently invest in accelerating the uptake of new WHO guidelines and tools including all-oral treatments and shorter regimens that can significantly improve access, quality of care, and better outcomes for those affected.
So, the 1/4/6×24 campaign is timely and it’s great to see that it’s fully aligned with the normative work of WHO.
As we prepare for the second High Level Meeting on TB in 2023 that will bring together heads of states and other leaders to re-energize commitments to end TB WHO commits to the following:
WHO commits to work with its members states and in particular with the high-TB-burden countries to facilitate the introduction of these shorter regimens for the treatment of TB infection, drug-susceptible, and drug-resistant tuberculosis.
WHO commits to facilitate dialogue among Ministries of Health, technical partners, donors, and all relevant stakeholders to address barriers to implementation of shorter treatment regimens and share best practices of implementation.
WHO commits to continue monitoring on an annual basis the uptake of these new regimens and to share progress on implementation.
WHO thanks the organizers of the 1/4/6×24 campaign and looks forward to contributing to its success. No more excuses and delays in prioritizing and investing to end one of the top infectious killers. Invest to end TB, save lives.