A call to invest in post-TB lung disease to halt TB transmission in communities

Dear Editor We undertook an evaluation of former TB patients for pulmonary rehabilitation. Our diagnostic evaluation aimed to implement clinical standards for post-TB lung disease (PTLD) using operational research. 1 Nightingale et al. also issued a clinical statement, addressing diverse post-TB morbidities such as social, economic, neurological, cardiovascular, PTLD and psychiatric impairments. 2 In low-and middle-income African countries (such as Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya), only 4 in 10 clinicians can diagnose PTLD, contributing to an underestimation of its burden. 3 Hence, the clinical statement offers guidance on PTLD diagnosis, management, research gaps and recurrent TB detection. 2 Our findings (presented below) suggest that there may be higher-than-expected community transmission of TB infection among susceptible patients. This may be due to damaged lungs from prior TB disease, weakened …