Predicting the effect of improved socioeconomic health determinants on the tuberculosis epidemic

Abstract

Two important public health documents have recently established programmatic goals for tuberculosis control. The first is WHO's End TB Strategy, which represents the evolution of previous DOTS (directly observed treatment, short-course) and Stop TB strategies.1 End TB is built around three pillars: pillar 1 focuses on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; pillar 2 on ways to tackle socioeconomic factors (eg, poverty reduction, social protection, and universal access); and pillar 3 on scientific research.