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A call to action: Addressing the reproductive health needs of women with drug-resistant tuberculosis


K Schnippel
N Ndjeka
F Conradie
R Berhanu
Z Claasen
S Banoo
C Firnhaber

Abstract

Although there is substantial risk to maternal and neonatal health in the situation of pregnancy during treatment for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB), there is little evidence to guide clinicians as to how to manage this complexity. Of the 49 680 patients initiated on RR-TB treatment from 2009 to 2014 in South Africa, 47% were women and 80% of them were in their reproductive years (15 - 44). There is an urgent need for increased evidence of the safety of RR-TB treatment during pregnancy, increased access to contraception during RR-TB treatment, and inclusion of reproductive health in research on the prevention and treatment of TB.


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eISSN: 2078-5135
print ISSN: 0256-9574