Reply to van Crevel, et al

To the Editor—We appreciate van Crevel’s comments on our published article, “Completion Rate and Safety of Programmatic Screening and Treatment for Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Elderly Patients with Poorly Controlled Diabetic Mellitus: A Prospective Multicenter Study” [1]. The tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) co-epidemic is a major global public health challenge. It is estimated that 10% to 20% of the global TB burden can be attributed to DM [2]. DM patients, however, are not the first-priority group for latent TB infection (LTBI) intervention. Nevertheless, the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that the target population should be selected based on local epidemiology and resources [3]. Though WHO has published guidelines for the DM–TB collaborative framework since 2011 [4], several barriers, including fear of TB, limited funding, and poor collaboration between professional units, hinder the successful implementation of LTBI policy in diabetic patients...