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Excerpt
This 2011 update of Guidelines for the programmatic management of drug-resistant tuberculosis is intended as a tool for use by public health professionals working in response to the Sixty-second World Health Assembly's resolution on prevention and control of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. Resolution WHA62.15, adopted in 2009, calls on Member States to develop a comprehensive framework for the management and care of patients with drug-resistant TB.
The recommendations contained in these guidelines address the most topical questions concerning the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB: case-finding, multidrug resistance, treatment regimens, monitoring the response to treatment, and selecting models of care. The guidelines primarily target staff and medical practitioners working in TB treatment and control, and partners and organizations providing technical and financial support for care of drug-resistant TB in settings where resources are limited.
This guideline was developed in compliance with the process for evidence gathering, assessment and formulation of recommendations, as outlined in the WHO Handbook for Guideline Development (version March 2010; available at www
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