Can the 7-1-7 target increase the number of household contacts (HHCs) of tuberculosis patients initiated on preventive therapy? In this letter published in he International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, our colleagues at International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease describe how the 7-1-7 metric was adapted for TB preventive therapy (TPT), requiring HHCs to be listed within 7 days, screened within 1 day, and started on TPT within 7 days of screening. In a study involving 1,635 HHCs across sites in India, Pakistan and Kenya, the median initiation time for TPT was 6 days. However, persistent challenges included low attendance at health facilities and hesitance among health workers to prescribe TPT, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced support systems and targeted interventions to boost TPT uptake.
