Authorities at Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape say a new clinical trial has found the first safe and effective treatment to prevent multi-drug-resistant TB in children.
The medication is said to reduce the risk of MDR-TB in children by 56% with few side effects.
Professor Anneke Hesseling, the Principal Investigator of the TB-CHAMP trial at Stellenbosch University, says they have found a way to safely protect children when an adult is infected.
She says the benefit to children, their families and communities could be substantial.
Based on a review of the trial evidence in September, the World Health Organisation recommended Levofloxacin for MDR-TB preventive treatment in children, adolescents and adults.
