title: Regional initiatives to address the challenges of tuberculosis in children: perspectives from the Asia-Pacific region.
abstract: Increasing attention is being given to the challenges of management and prevention of tuberculosis in children and adolescents. There have been a number of recent important milestones achieved at the global level to address this previously neglected disease. There is now a need to increase activities and build partnerships at the regional and national levels in order to address the wide policy-practice gaps for implementation, and to take the key steps outlined in the Roadmap for Child Tuberculosis published in 2013. In this article, we provide the rationale and suggest strategies illustrated with examples to improve diagnosis, management, outcomes and prevention for children with tuberculosis in the Asia-Pacific region, with an emphasis on the need for greatly improved recording and reporting. Effective collaboration with community engagement between the child health sector, the National Tuberculosis control Programmes, community-based services and the communities themselves are essential.
authors: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France; Centre for International Child Health, University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics and Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for International Health, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: steve.graham@rch.org.au.
authors: Stephen M
authors: SM
authors: Graham
authors: Global Tuberculosis Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Malgorzata
authors: M
authors: Grzemska
authors: Global Tuberculosis Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Annemieke
authors: A
authors: Brands
authors: KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation Country Office, Ha Noi, Viet Nam.
authors: Huong
authors: H
authors: Nguyen
authors: National Department for Health, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Amini
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Sardjito Hospital/Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
authors: Rina
authors: R
authors: Triasih
authors: Centre for Woman and Child Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors: Khurshid
authors: K
authors: Talukder
authors: Bangladesh Paediatric Association TB CARE II Porject, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors: Shakil
authors: S
authors: Ahmed
authors: The Indus Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors: Farhana
authors: F
authors: Amanullah
authors: Global Coalition of TB Activists, Delhi, India.
authors: Blessina
authors: B
authors: Kumar
authors: Organization for Tuberculosis People, Pakistan.
authors: Pervaiz
authors: P
authors: Tufail
authors: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Detjen
authors: Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity and the Children's Hospital at Westmead, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Ben
authors: B
authors: Marais
authors: Stop TB and Leprosy Unit, Division of communicable Diseases, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, The Philippines.
authors: Cornelia
authors: C
authors: Hennig
authors: Stop TB and Leprosy Unit, Division of communicable Diseases, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, The Philippines.
authors: Tauhid
authors: T
authors: Islam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001208:Asia; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018672:Community Health Planning; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009313:National Health Programs; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: child; contact screening; national tuberculosis programmes; tuberculosis