Tuberculosis care models for children and adolescents: a scoping review.

Objective: To map which tuberculosis care models are best suited for children and adolescents. Methods: We conducted a scoping review to assess the impact of decentralized, integrated and family-centred care on child and adolescent tuberculosis-related outcomes, describe approaches for these care models and identify key knowledge gaps. We searched seven literature databases on 5 February 2021 (updated 16 February 2022), searched the references of 18 published reviews and requested data from ongoing studies. We included studies from countries with a high tuberculosis burden that used a care model of interest and reported tuberculosis diagnostic, treatment or prevention outcomes for an age group < 20 years old. Findings: We identified 28 studies with a comparator group for the impact assessment and added 19 non-comparative studies to a qualitative analysis of care delivery approaches. Approaches included strengthening capacity in primary-level facilities, providing services in communities, screening for tuberculosis in other health services, co-locating tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus treatment, offering a choice of treatment location and providing social or economic support. Strengthening both decentralized diagnostic services and community linkages led to one-to-sevenfold increases in case detection across nine studies and improved prevention outcomes. We identified only five comparative studies on integrated or family-centred care, but 11 non-comparative studies reported successful treatment outcomes for at least 71% of children and adolescents. Conclusion: Strengthening decentralized services in facilities and communities can improve tuberculosis outcomes for children and adolescents. Further research is needed to identify optimal integrated and family-centred care approaches.

Safety and feasibility of 1 month of daily rifapentine plus isoniazid to prevent tuberculosis in children and adolescents: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Shorter regimens for tuberculosis prevention can improve completion rates and protection against developing active tuberculosis disease after tuberculosis exposure. We aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of 1 month of daily isoniazid and rifapentine (1HP) in children and adolescents in a low-resource setting in south Asia with low prevalence of HIV. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was done in eight tuberculosis facilities in Karachi, Pakistan. Eligible participants were aged 2-19 years and were household contacts of patients with drug-susceptible tuberculosis infection. After clinical, radiological, and laboratory evaluation to rule out tuberculosis disease, participants were prescribed 1HP as a preventive regimen. Isoniazid was administered as 100 mg or 300 mg oral tablets and rifapentine was administered as 150 mg oral tablets. Dosing was according to participant bodyweight. The primary endpoints were the cumulative probability of a household contact completing all stages of the preventive care cascade, assessed in all eligible participants, and the proportion of household contacts completing 1HP, assessed among all those who initiated the regimen. Safety was assessed in all household contacts who initiated the 1HP regimen. FINDINGS: Between Dec 21, 2019, and March 20, 2020, 1395 household contacts of 253 patients with tuberculosis were identified, including 678 household contacts who were eligible to participate. 628 (93%) completed evaluation, of whom ten (2%) had active tuberculosis disease. Of the 618 individuals eligible for tuberculosis prevention, 408 (66%) initiated 1HP, 385 (94%) of whom completed the regimen. The median duration of 1HP was 31 days (IQR 30-32) in those who completed the regimen. The cumulative probability of completing all steps of the tuberculosis prevention cascade was 58%. A girl aged 11 years developed tuberculosis disease within 6 months of completing 1HP. A boy aged 14 years developed a burning sensation during 1HP therapy and discontinued the regimen. No other adverse events were observed. INTERPRETATION: 1HP can be safely and feasibly implemented as tuberculosis prevention in children and adolescents in programmatic settings. FUNDING: The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.