WHO Guidelines on Tuberculosis Infection Prevention and Control

Background Despite considerable progress in the fight against tuberculosis, it is still the most deadly bacterial infectious disease worldwide. Every year, up to 10 million people worldwide still die of tuberculosis. The World Health Assembly has set itself the goal of reducing the number of tuberculosis deaths by 90 % and the number of new infections by 80 % by 2030. Prevention and infection control measures in public health facilities and wherever the risk of transmission of the tuberculosis bacterium "Mycobacterium tuberculosis" is high are especially important. Objective The aim of the guideline is to provide updated and evidence-based recommendations for public health measures to prevent the spread of the tuberculosis bacterium in clinical settings and in tuberculosis management. Methodology The World Health Organization (WHO) developed these recommendations according to the methods outlined in the WHO handbook for guideline development. This publication is a summary of the most important aspects of this guideline translated into German by members of the WHO Collaborating Centre at the Danube University Krems (Austria). Results This guideline takes into account the current evidence base and provides recommendations and comments on the implementation of tuberculosis prevention and control measures at the level of health care institutions and at the national level.