Recommendation on 36 Months Isoniazid Preventive Therapy to Adults and Adolescents Living with HIV in Resource-constrained and High TB and HIV-prevalence Settings: 2015 Update

In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued "Guidelines for intensified tuberculosis case-finding and isoniazid preventive therapy for people living with HIV in resource constrained settings" and conditionally recommended the use of at least 36 months of isoniazid preventive therapy or IPT (as a proxy for lifelong or continuous treatment) for people living with HIV in high TB-prevalence and transmission settings, based on the results of unpublished studies. It was decided to update the evidence as the studies are now published, and explore whether the findings might require any change in the recommendation of lifelong IPT for people living with HIV.

The main objective of this update is to reassess the recommendation to provide IPT for 36 months to children and adults living with HIV, including pregnant women, those receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and those who have successfully completed TB treatment and are living in settings with high TB and HIV prevalence and transmission, based on the requirements of the WHO Guidelines Review Committee.