WHO releases ScreenTB web-based tool for TB treatment

The World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled ScreenTB, a web-based tool designed to prioritize groups at risk for tuberculosis (TB) in testing and assist countries in customizing screening and prevention. This significant step aims to help nations meet the ambitious targets set at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on the Fight against TB.

The political declaration from the meeting commits countries to screen 45 million people by 2027 to detect, treat, and initiate TB preventive treatment. Achieving this goal will necessitate a rapid expansion of activities such as screening and active case finding.

ScreenTB utilizes data from WHO’s latest global TB reports, international databases, and published reports to assess the burden and risks of TB, the accuracy of screening and diagnostic tools, and provide the latest estimates based on information from countries. Users can customize threat groups and screening tools as needed.

The tool generates estimates of several important outcomes unique to the country and at-risk groups screened, including screening yield, eligibility for TB preventive treatment, and cost. It also provides several statistics for visual understanding and comparison of results.

ScreenTB is freely available to all, marking a significant stride in the global fight against TB.

General guide on how to use it

• Assessing the Situation: Understanding the current state of TB in your local or national area is crucial. This includes knowing the prevalence of TB, the demographics most affected, and the resources available for TB screening and treatment.

• Defining the Objectives of Screening: We should set clear goals for what the screening program aims to achieve. This could be reducing the number of new TB cases, finding and treating latent TB infections before they become active, or reducing TB-related mortality.

• Prioritizing Risk Groups for Screening: Not everyone in a population needs to be screened for TB.. Instead, focus should be on those who are at higher risk of TB infection or progression to active disease. This could include people living with HIV, contacts of TB patients, healthcare workers, prisoners, etc.

• Implementation of CAD Technologies in a New Setting: Considerations in selecting and using CAD for screening in TB programmes. There’s also a toolkit for CAD calibration to enable implementation.

• The guide covers another important aspect: Screening for Tuberculosis Disease Among Adults and Adolescents Living with HIV.

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