Abstract:
Global tuberculosis control is threatened by dramatic increases in HIV-related tuberculosis and by the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. Highly lethal outbreaks of extensively drugresistant tuberculosis among HIVinfected persons in South Africa demonstrate the public health emergency that results when these two forces converge in the same setting. Fortunately, at this time of great need, tuberculosis drug development has been roused from its decades-long slumber. New ways of using existing drugs and the development of new
drug classes hold great promise for the treatment of both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant tuberculosis. Children are a critical part of the
global tuberculosis pandemic, with an estimated 900,000 cases and 100,000 deaths per year.
