This chapter summarizes the treatment options available for children and adolescents to treat drug-susceptible TB and DR-TB and pulmonary and extrapulmonary forms of TB (including TBM), and considerations related to post-TB health. It includes operational guidance on various new treatment approaches, including a 4-month treatment regimen, and important implementation considerations such as availability of child-friendly formulations and access to all key medicines for the treatment of DR-TB.
Treatment outcomes for children completing TB treatment are generally excellent. The vast majority of deaths attributable to TB in children occur in those who do not receive treatment (85). The key to stopping the spread of TB in a community, including to children and adolescents, is to start effective TB treatment in people who are infectious as soon as possible and to prevent TB disease in people at high risk of developing TB.
