What can be done to combat the spread of TB?
The internationally recommended strategy to control TB, known as DOTS, has five components: • political commitment to sustained TB control • access to quality-assured TB sputum microscopy • standardized short-course chemotherapy, including direct observation of treatment • an uninterrupted supply of drugs • a standardized recording and reporting system, enabling assessment of outcome in all patients. The Global Partnership to Stop TB is a global movement to accelerate social and political action to stop the spread of tuberculosis around the world. The Stop TB mission is to increase access, security and support in order to: • ensure that every TB patient has access to TB treatment and cure, and protect vulnerable populations from TB • reduce the social and economic toll that TB exacts from families, communities, and nations. The Partnership’s approach is a coordinated, multinational, multisectoral global effort to control TB.
