Table 1 WHO treatment categories and outcome definitions [28]

I

new cases of smear- positive pulmonary tuberculosis and other newly diagnosed seriously ill patients with severe forms of tuberculosis (i.e. disseminated tuberculosis, tuberculous meningitis, tuberculosis spondyolitis with neurological complications, tuberculosis pericarditis, peritonitis, bilateral or extensive pleurisy, smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis with extensive parenchymal involvement, intestinal tuberculosis, genito-urinary tuberculosis, etc.)

II

relapse and failure patients, those who interrupted treatment, and "other" patients who were previously treated for more than 1 month not under a DOTS treatment program

III

new cases of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis

Outcomes

Cure

Patients are considered as cured if his/her smear/culture was positive before the onset of treatment, if they have completed a course of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy and their smear/culture is negative at 5 or more months of treatment and at the end of treatment.

Treatment completed*

Patients who were smear and culture negative before the onset of treatment and thereafter, and have completed a full course of treatment. Patients who were smear and/or culture positive before the onset of treatment and have completed a full course of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy but failed to have the required number of negative smears and/or cultures.

Treatment failure

A patient who failed to achieve bacteriological conversion within 5 (FIVE) months after the start of treatment, or, after previous conversion, becomes sputum smear or culture-positive again. Also a patient who was initially smear-negative before starting treatment and became smear-positive after competing the initial phase of treatment.

Death

Patient who dies for any reason during the course of treatment.

Default (interruption)

Patient whose treatment was interrupted for two consecutive months or more.

Transfer out

Patient who has been transferred before the completion of his/her treatment to another recording and reporting unit and for whom the treatment outcome is not known.