RetourEvidence on the nutritional status of people with TB is important for understanding the nature of the TB epidemic at subnational and national levels. It can also be used to advocate for further support from other stakeholders within government and within nongovernmental sectors, in terms of both food assistance, and social protection and support.
Countries are encouraged to monitor and evaluate the impact of implementation of the new recommendations on TB and undernutrition on nutritional recovery and TB treatment outcomes in people with TB. They should also monitor and evaluate the impact on TB incidence within the households of people with TB. This can be achieved through periodic surveys or through routine monitoring.
On an individual basis, nutritional assessment of people with TB at the start of treatment and throughout its duration is important to understand the degree of clinical recovery or decline. If the data are not already captured, recording and reporting tools should be updated and health workers should be trained to capture data on the assessment and management of undernutrition in people with TB. Efforts should be made to ensure that the data from nutritional assessment and interventions for household contacts are captured within the appropriate health management information systems. Digital applications (apps) may be adapted to capture data on the nutritional status of people with TB and their household contacts.
A list of suggested indicators will be included in the latest edition of the accompanying operational handbook.