Instigating effective treatment regimens in a way that improves patient adherence is vital to tackling the global resurgence of tuberculosis

About one third of the world's population has latent tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.1 From this pool, roughly 9 million cases of active tuberculosis emerge annually, resulting in 2-3 million deaths. Most new cases occur in the most populated nations—India and China—but the highest rates of disease are seen in sub-Saharan Africa, the Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos, Afghanistan, Bolivia, and Peru. In these regions case rates typically exceed 300 cases per 100 000 per year. 1 2 Although the incidence of tuberculosis declined in North America and western Europe throughout most of the latter half of the 20th century, case rates have increased over the past 10 years mainly because of immigration, HIV/AIDS, and the neglect of tuberculosis control programmes. 3 4 One vital factor in curbing the increase of tuberculosis is the instigation of proper treatment that not only encompasses an effective regimen but also ensures compliance with and response to treatment. This review highlights current treatment recommendations for tuberculosis.