Prevalence Of TB Research Articles

Assessment of non-tuberculosis abnormalities on digital chest x-rays with high CAD4TB scores from a tuberculosis prevalence survey in Zambia and South Africa

BackgroundChest X-rays (CXRs) have traditionally been used to aid the diagnosis of TB-suggestive abnormalities. Using Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) algorithms, TB risk is quantified to assist with diagnostics. However, CXRs capture all other structural abnormalities. Identification of non-TB abnormalities in individuals with CXRs that have high CAD scores but don’t have bacteriologically confirmed TB is unknown. This presents a missed opportunity of extending novel CAD systems’ potential to simultaneously provide information on other non-TB abnormalities alongside TB. This study aimed to characterize and estimate the prevalence of non-TB abnormalities on digital CXRs with high CAD4TB scores from a TB prevalence survey in Zambia and South Africa.MethodologyThis was a cross-sectional analysis of clinical data of participants from the TREATS TB prevalence survey conducted in 21 communities in Zambia and South Africa. The study included individuals aged ≥ 15 years who had high CAD4TB scores (score ≥ 70), but had no bacteriologically confirmed TB in any of the samples submitted, were not on TB treatment, and had no history of TB. Two consultant radiologists reviewed the images for non-TB abnormalities.ResultsOf the 525 CXRs reviewed, 46.7% (245/525) images were reported to have non-TB abnormalities. About 11.43% (28/245) images had multiple non-TB abnormalities, while 88.67% (217/245) had a single non-TB abnormality. The readers had a fair inter-rater agreement (r = 0.40). Based on anatomical location, non-TB abnormalities in the lung parenchyma (19%) were the most prevalent, followed by Pleura (15.4%), then heart & great vessels (6.1%) abnormalities. Pleural effusion/thickening/calcification (8.8%) and cardiomegaly (5%) were the most prevalent non-TB abnormalities. Prevalence of (2.7%) for pneumonia not typical of pulmonary TB and (2.1%) mass/nodules (benign/ malignant) were also reported.ConclusionA wide range of non-TB abnormalities can be identified on digital CXRs among individuals with high CAD4TB scores but don’t have bacteriologically confirmed TB. Adaptation of AI systems like CAD4TB as a tool to simultaneously identify other causes of abnormal CXRs alongside TB can be interesting and useful in non-faculty-based screening programs to better link cases to appropriate care.

A distributional regression approach to modeling the impact of structural and intermediary social determinants on communities burdened by tuberculosis in Eastern Amazonia – Brazil

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) is a disease that is influenced by social determinants of health. However, the specific structural and intermediary determinants of TB in Eastern Amazonia remain unclear. Despite being rich in natural resources, the region faces significant challenges related to poverty, inequality, and neglected diseases. The objective of this study was to use mathematical modeling to evaluate the influence of structural and intermediary determinants of health on TB in Eastern Amazonia, Brazil.MethodsThis cross-sectional included all TB cases diagnosed and registered in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) from 2001 to 2017. Data on social determinants were collected at the census tract level. The generalized additive model for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) framework was employed to identify the effect of social determinants on communities with a high TB prevalence. The Double Poisson distribution (DPO) was chosen, and inclusion of quadratic effects was tested.ResultsA total of 1730 individuals were diagnosed with TB and reported in SINAN during the analyzed period. The majority were female (59.3%), aged 31 to 59 years (47.6%), identified as blacks (67.9%), and had incomplete elementary education (46.6%). The prevalence of alcoholism was 8.6% and mental illness was 0.7%. GAMLSS analyses demonstrated that the risk of community incidence of TB is associated with the proportion of the population lacking basic sanitation, as well as with the age groups of 16–31 years and > 61 years.ConclusionsThe study highlights the strategic utility of GAMLSS in identifying high-risk areas for TB. Models should encompass a broader range of social determinants to inform policies aimed at reducing inequality and achieving the goals of the End TB strategy.

Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Children With Nonsevere Tuberculosis in Spain.

To assess the prevalence and characteristics of nonsevere TB among children in Spain. It has been recently demonstrated that these children can be treated with a 4-month regimen instead of the classical 6-month treatment regimen, with the same effectivity and outcomes, decreasing toxicity and improving adherence. We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a cohort of children ≤16 years of age with TB. Nonsevere TB cases included smear-negative children with respiratory TB confined to 1 lobe, with no significant airway obstruction, no complex pleural effusion, no cavities and no signs of miliary disease, or with peripheral lymph-node disease. The remaining children were considered to have severe TB. We estimated the prevalence of nonsevere TB and compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes between children with nonsevere and severe TB. A total of 780 patients were included [46.9% males, median age 5.5 years (IQR: 2.6-11.1)], 477 (61.1%) of whom had nonsevere TB. Nonsevere TB was less frequent in children <1 year (33% vs 67%; P < 0.001), and >14 years of age (35% vs 65%; P = 0.002), mostly diagnosed in contact tracing studies (60.4% vs 29.2%; P < 0.001) and more frequently asymptomatic (38.3% vs 17.7%; P < 0.001). TB confirmation in nonsevere disease was less frequent by culture (27.0% vs 57.1%; P < 0.001) and by molecular tests (18.2% vs 48.8%; P < 0.001). Sequelae were less frequent in children with nonsevere disease (1.7 vs 5.4%; P < 0.001). No child with nonsevere disease died. Two-thirds of children had nonsevere TB, mostly with benign clinical presentation and negative microbiologic results. In low-burden countries, most children with TB might benefit from short-course regimens.

Prevalence and incidence of symptomatic pulmonary tuberculosis based on repeated population screening in a district in Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study

ObjectiveIn Ethiopia, one-third of the estimated tuberculosis cases are not detected or reported. Incidence estimates are inaccurate and rarely measured directly. Assessing the ‘real’ incidence under programme conditions is useful...

Prevalence and Awareness Survey of Tuberculosis in The Suspected Population of Bajaur Agency in Fata, Pakistan

Tuberculosis is most common infectious disease of the lungs and is a leading cause of Mortality among infectious caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Its infections occurring in about 1% of the population each year. Objective: To trace out the effects of TB in peoples of different ages, areas, and lifestyle and also check the Awareness level of TB in Educated and Married peoples. Methods: A total of 200 Samples were collected from Agency Headquarter hospital Khar Bajaur Agency and were screened out for TB by Microscopic examination, X-rays and Gene Xpert. Results: The Result revealed that out of 200 individuals 68 (34%) were positive, of which 36 (31.03%) were Male and 32(38.09%) were female. Conclusions: TB was higher in female as compared to Male. Prevalence of TB in different age groups was measured. The highest percentage was 39(69.64%) in age group 11-20 years while the lowest was 8(26.66%) in age group of 1-10 years. The major modes of transmission were spitting, coughing, sneezing, talking and singing.

Analysis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Prevalence in HIV/AIDS Patients Based on Co-Infection Aspects

TB and HIV co-infection occurs when a person has active or latent TB and HIV infection. HIV-positive sufferers have a 30 times greater risk of getting TB than HIV-negative people. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in HIV/AIDS patients based on the co-infection aspect at the Southeast Sulawesi Health Office. This study used a design analytic observational with a cross-sectional approach. The population in the study was all TB and HIV/AIDS patients who were recaptured at the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Health Office. The sample size was 105 people. The results showed that CD4 levels significantly affected the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in HIV/AIDS patients based on co-infection at the Southeast Sulawesi Health Office. The clinical stage has a significant effect on the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in HIV/AIDS patients based on co-infection at the Southeast Sulawesi Health Office; nutritional status has a significant effect on the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in HIV/AIDS patients based on co-infection at the Sulawesi Health Office Southeast Sulawesi and Hb levels have a significant effect on the prevalence of pulmonary TB in HIV/AIDS patients based on co-infection at the Southeast Sulawesi Health Office. Keywords: Prevalence, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, co-infection

Forecasting Incidence Prevalence of Tuberculosis in Azad Jammu &amp; Kashmir: A Five-Year Retrospective Study

Background: Tuberculosis is one of the critical public health issue in Pakistan, according to report of WHO (2018), it holds 5th place among the TB high burden countries and estimated to be on fourth position for MDR prevalence. Currently, Pakistan is sharing 61% of case burden of TB in EMRO region. Methods: Polynomial regression model was used to predict the tuberculosis incidence prevalence in AJ&amp;K for the year 2019. Estimation based on tuberculosis data (2014-2018) analyzed for the incidence prevalence of tuberculosis in AJ&amp;K for 2019. Results: Tuberculosis incidence prevalence for 2018 was obtained 118/100000. The actual data of 2018 reported shows that averagely incidence prevalence of TB remains 124/100000 with minor difference from the predicted value of 2018. The data analysis from 2014 to 2018; predicted that average 130/100000 cases will be reported in 2019. Conclusion: This shows that AJ&amp;K is far from the target (270/100000) recognized by WHO. If one TB case produces 10 cases in community annually, then in coming years, there will be adversity of TB cases in the AJ&amp;K. It is suggested to WHO to revise its target.

Public health benefits of shifting from hospital-focused to ambulatory TB care in Eastern Europe: Optimising TB investments in Belarus, the Republic of Moldova, and Romania.

High rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) continue to threaten public health, especially in Eastern Europe. Costs for treating DR-TB are substantially higher than treating drug-susceptible TB, and higher yet if DR-TB services are delivered in hospital. The WHO recommends that multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB be treated using mainly ambulatory care, shown to have non-inferior health outcomes, however, there has been a delay to transition away from hospital-focused MDR-TB care in certain Eastern European countries. Allocative efficiency analyses were conducted for three countries in Eastern Europe, Belarus, the Republic of Moldova, and Romania, to minimise a combination of TB incidence, prevalence, and mortality by 2035. A primary focus of these studies was to determine the health benefits and financial savings that could be realised if DR-TB service delivery shifted from hospital-focused to ambulatory care. Here we provide a comprehensive assessment of findings from these studies to demonstrate the collective benefit of transitioning from hospital-focused to ambulatory TB care, and to address common regional considerations. We highlight that transitioning from hospital-focused to ambulatory TB care could reduce treatment costs by 20% in Romania, 24% in Moldova, and by as much as 40% in Belarus or almost 35 million US dollars across these three countries by 2035 without affecting quality of care. Improved TB outcomes could be achieved, however, without additional spending by reinvesting these savings in higher-impact TB diagnosis and more efficacious DR-TB treatment regimens. We found commonalities in the large portion of TB cases treated in hospital across these three regional countries, and similar obstacles to transitioning to ambulatory care. National governments in the Eastern European region should examine barriers delaying adoption of ambulatory DR-TB care and consider lost opportunities caused by delays in switching to more efficient treatment modes.

Tuberculosis in times of war and crisis: Epidemiological trends and characteristics of patients born in Ukraine, Germany, 2022.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 caused a large migration to other European countries, including Germany. This movement impacted the TB epidemiology, as Ukraine has a higher prevalence of TB and multidrug-resistant TB rates compared to Germany. Our descriptive analysis of TB surveillance data reveals important information to improve TB care in people displaced from Ukraine. We observed an expected increase in the number of TB patients born in Ukraine, which is, however, so far below WHO/Europe estimates.

Chest X-ray predicts cases of pulmonary tuberculosis among women of reproductive age with acute respiratory symptoms: A multi-center cross-sectional study

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) prevalence is increasing among women of reproductive age (WRA) in sub-Saharan Africa, yet undiagnosed and untreated cases remain rather high with serious health and socio-economic consequences. We aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of TB in WRA seeking health care for acute respiratory symptoms. MethodsWe consecutively enrolled outpatient WRA with acute respiratory symptoms seeking care at four healthcare facilities in Ethiopia between July 2019 and December 2020. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and clinical information were collected using a structured questionnaire administered by trained nurses. Posteroanterior chest X-ray was performed in non-pregnant WRA and interpreted independently by two radiologists. Sputum samples were collected from all patients and tested for pulmonary TB using Xpert MTB/RIF and/or smear microscopy. Predictors of bacteriologically confirmed TB cases were determined using binary logistic regression, with clinically relevant variables included in the final Firth’s multivariate-penalized logistic regression model. ResultsWe enrolled 577 participants, of whom 95 (16%) were pregnant, 67 (12%) were living with HIV, 512 (89%) had cough of less than 2 weeks, and 56 (12%) had chest-x-ray findings suggestive of TB. The Overall prevalence of TB was 3% (95% CI: 1.8%-4.7%) with no significant difference observed between patient groups categorized by duration of cough or HIV serostatus (P-value = 0.9999). In multivariable analysis, TB-suggestive CXR abnormality (AOR 18.83 [95% CI, 6.20–57.18]) and history of weight loss (AOR 3.91 [95% CI, 1.25–12.29]) were associated with bacteriologically-confirmed TB cases. ConclusionsWe found a high TB prevalence among low-risk women of reproductive age with acute respiratory symptoms. Routine CXR may improve early case detection and thereby TB treatment outcomes.

Characteristics of TB/HIV Co-Infection and Patterns of Multidrug-Resistance Tuberculosis in the Northwest Amhara, Ethiopia.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has continued to be a serious public health threat and significantly challenges global TB control and prevention efforts, where the TB/HIV co-infection epidemic makes the situation much worse. The aim of the study was to determine the determinant factors associated with patterns of MDR-TB among pulmonary TB patients in the Northwest Amhara, Ethiopia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2022 to February 2023 in the Northwest Amhara, Ethiopia. Data on the participants' socio-demographics and clinical characteristics were obtained using a pre-tested checklist. Phenotypic susceptibility testing to first-line anti-TB drugs was performed on 180 isolates by automated BD BACTEC MGIT 960 system. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association of risk factors with patterns of MDR-TB. A p-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. The overall proportion of TB with HIV co-infected cases was 19.8% (50/252). Culture positivity was confirmed in 203/252 (80.6%) of sputum samples. Among 168 isolates, the DST showed that 119 (70.8%) isolates were pan-susceptible to all first-line drugs and prevalence of any resistance to first-line drugs was 49,168 (29.2%). Among the resistant isolates, 28 (16.7%) were any mono-resistance and 12 (7.1%) were determined to be resistant to MDR-TB. TB with a previous TB treatment (aOR = 6.73, 95% CI: 1.78-25.47, p = 0.005) and HIV co-infected (aOR = 0.252, 95% CI: 0.73-0.875, p = 0.03) were significantly associated with MDR-TB. Higher prevalence of TB and MDR-TB was examined among TB patients in the study area. In the study, history of previous TB treatment was the strongest risk factor MDR-TB infection followed by TB with HIV co-infected cases. Therefore, there is a need of strengthening TB control and prevention programs to reduce the increase of TB incidence, further emergence and transmission of a public health threat of MDR-TB cases.

Prevalence of tuberculosis in homes for the aged and orphanages of a district in Kerala, India

BackgroundIndia accounts for one fourth of the TB burden globally. One of the objectives of the National Strategic Plan is to achieve 90% notification rate of all TB cases. Screening of high risk groups is one of the important components towards achieving this objective. Inmates of homes for the aged and orphanages are at higher risk of having TB infection and disease. Hence this study was conducted with the objective of identifying the prevalence of TB among inmates of homes for the aged and orphanages. MethodsA cross sectional study was done in homes for the aged and orphanages of Kollam district of Kerala in India. Sample size was estimated as 466. Cluster sampling using probability proportionate to size was used. There were 32 homes for the aged, from which 5 were selected. Out of 43 orphanages 8 were selected. Inmates were screened using a questionnaire. Those with any of the symptoms suggestive of TB were examined by a pulmonologist in a camp conducted at the institute. Those who needed further evaluation were brought to Government Medical College, Kollam/other nearest government health setting. All those who were detected to be having tuberculosis, were guided and given the care as per the NTEP treatment protocol. Permission was taken from the Collector of Kollam district. Informed written consent from the study subjects/legally accepted representative and assent were taken. Results533 inmates were assessed from homes for the aged. The mean age was 56.70 (SD - 17.40). Five new TB patients were identified during the study. Of this three patients had extra-pulmonary and two were pulmonary TB. Eight patients were receiving treatment for TB at the time of study already, seven of which were pulmonary and one was extra-pulmonary. So the prevalence of TB in homes for the aged was 13/533 ie 2.43% (95%CI – 1.36 to 4.03%) or 2430/lakh. A higher percentage of inmates with tuberculosis were females, stayed in dormitory, had only primary education, had history of contact with TB and were undernourished compared to inmates without tuberculosis.We screened 478 children in orphanages of Kollam district. There were no children less than 5 years. Most of the children were in the age group of 10–15 years (62.1%). Nine children (1.9%) had history of contact with TB. One child had a previous history of TB. There was only one child who was suspected to have Tuberculosis, She was evaluated by a pediatrician and Tuberculosis was ruled out. ConclusionThe prevalence of TB in inmates of homes for the aged is much higher than the general population. This highlights the need for a more active case detection in such institutions, especially in the context of the country marching towards TB elimination. The absence of tuberculosis among children in orphanages is a positive indicator that the community is moving in the direction of TB elimination.

Comparison of active tuberculosis case finding strategies for immigrants in South Korea: Epidemiology and cost-effectiveness analysis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the serious infectious diseases in South Korea, with 49 new cases per 100,000 people and 629 multi-drug resistant (MDR) cases reported in 2020. TB is increasing among immigrants in S. Korea, and various TB case finding strategies are being performed for screening. We compared active case finding (ACF) with passive case finding (semi-PCF) across epidemiological characteristics and investigated a cost-effective strategy for screening immigrants for TB. ACF driven by non-governmental organizations and semi-PCF as part of the government's visa renewal process using CXR with additional acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear and cultures were performed. Epidemiological parameters were compared between the two TB screening projects, and costs were collected. Cost-effectiveness was evaluated using a decision analysis model from the health system perspective. The primary outcome was incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) per averted TB case. Additional probabilistic sensitivity analysis was conducted. ACF (2.02%) showed a higher TB prevalence rate than semi-PCF (0.67%) on CXR. For subjects older than 60 years, the suspected TB rate on CXR was significantly higher in ACF (36.6%) than in semi-PCF (12.2%) (P<0.01). TB incidence among the family visa type was significantly higher in ACF (1.96%) than in semi-PCF (0.88%) (P < 0.0012). Costs for ACF ($666.92) were $20.784 higher than for semi-PCF ($646.13), but TB progression decreased by 0.02, resulting in an ICER of $948.18 per averted TB case. In sensitivity analysis, the indirect costs of ACF and semi-PCF had the highest impact on ICER. ACF found more TB cases than semi-PCF through CXR screening, and suspect cases with old age and family visa type were more common in ACF than in semi-PCF. ACF is cost-effective as a TB screening strategy for immigrants.

Incidence of Tuberculosis in HIV Sero-positive Patients at HIV Clinic at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, Bushenyi District

This study on the prevalence of TB among HIV sero-positive was carried at the HIV CLINIC of Kampala International University Teaching Hospital (KIUTH), Ishaka Bushenyi district. A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used to conduct this research. The study targeted all patients attending KIUTH HIV/TB clinic. A standard structured and semistructured questionnaires were designed and pre-tested for validity and reliability at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital HIV/Tuberculosis clinic before being used for data collection. Data collection started by recruitment of qualified research assistants, appropriate training and orientation of the interviewers before the survey for example when reading the questions. Quantitative methods of data analysis was used in which data was presented in form of bar charts, graphs and tables. The prevalence of TB among HIV sero-positive patients attending HIV clinic at KIUTH stands at 8.06 per 100 participants. The study found that generally, people are aware about the modes of transmission of TB but there is still need for more awareness. Many patients are still not certain whether TB is curable in HIV patients. As seen from the above study, most of the people are not yet aware whether HIV goes hand in hand with tuberculosis. The prevalence of TB in HIV sero-positive attending HIV clinic at KIUTH is high. Generally, TB is affecting patients of all ages and most patients are still not aware if TB in HIV is curable. Most patients have a perception that all TB patients have HIV. Health workers in HIV clinic of KIU-TH should teach patients the modes of transmission and prevention of TB. KIUTH also need to provide easy access to TB screening services to patients. There is need for financial support by the government to the unemployed patients and low-income earners in order to curb TB infections. Keywords: Tuberculosis, HIV, Sero-positive, Bushenyi District

Comparison of gastric lavage/sputum and stool specimens in the diagnosis of pediatric pulmonary tuberculosis- A pilot study

Background and ObjectiveGlobal TB report 2021 mentions 11 % prevalence of pediatric TB, whereas 5.65% of the cases were reported from India in 2020. India features in the list of TB high burden countries, HIV-TB high burden and MDR-TB high burden countries. The diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children is difficult as they tend to swallow the sputum, invasive techniques of gastric aspirates needs to be followed and the disease itself is paucibacillary. The disease progresses rapidly in young children and hence rapid diagnosis is needed. Obtaining appropriate respiratory samples for diagnosis is difficult especially in primary care settings. Stool sample is easy to obtain and since children swallow sputum, it can be used to diagnose pulmonary tuberculosis. With this background, a pilot study was planned to evaluate the accuracy of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay for the detection of MTB in stool specimens obtained from pediatric pulmonary TB patients confirmed either by gastric lavage(GL) or sputum(SP) Xpert MTB/RIF assay. In addition, the results of microscopy of stool specimen were compared with that of gastric lavage/ sputum (GL/SP) specimen by Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) and fluorescent light-emitting diode (LED) staining. Material and methodsA prospective study was carried out on 50 GL/SP Xpert MTB/RIF assay positive children (0-14 years). Stool specimens from these children were processed for Xpert MTB/RIF assay. The GL/SP and stool specimens were processed for ZN and Auramine O fluorescent microscopy as well. ResultsFluorescent staining detected acid fast bacilli (AFB) in 24 GL/SP and 16 stool specimens as compared to 20 GL/SP and 10 stool specimens by ZN staining. Stool Xpert MTB/ RIF assay was positive in 29 out of 50 children. Rifampicin resistance was detected in 13 of the 50 (26%) GL/SP specimens. Of these 13 children, rifampicin resistance was detected in 7 stool specimens, rifampicin indeterminate resistance was detected in one specimen and in the remaining 5 children, M.tuberculosis was not detected in stool. ConclusionStool is a good non-invasive specimen for the detection of pulmonary TB in children, especially in remote areas, where invasive techniques cannot be performed for sample collection.

Communicable Diseases Prevalence among Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Communicable diseases remain a significant global health issue. The increase in refugees and asylum seekers associated with conflicts may alter the burden of communicable diseases in host countries. We conducted a systematic review of the prevalence of TB, HBC, HCV, and HIV among refugees and asylum seekers by regions of asylum and origin. Four electronic databases were searched from initiation to the 25 December 2022. Prevalence estimates were pooled into a random-effect model and were stratified by the region of origin and asylum. Meta-analysis was conducted to explore the heterogeneity of the included studies. The most-reported asylum region was The Americas, represented by the United States of America. Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean was the region of the most-reported origin. The highest reported prevalence of active TB and HIV was among African refugees and asylum seekers. The highest reported prevalence of latent TB, HBV and HCV was among Asian and Eastern Mediterranean refugees and asylum seekers. High heterogeneity was found regardless of the communicable disease type or stratification. This review provided insights about refugees' and asylum seekers' status around the world and attempted to connect refugees' and asylum seekers' distribution and the burden of communicable diseases.

PREVALENCE OF TUBERCULOSIS AND RIFAMPICIN RESISTANT Mycobacterium tuberculosis AMONG PATIENTS RECEIVING TREATMENT IN ERCC MEDICAL CENTER ALUSHI, NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of tuberculosis among patients undergoing treatment at the ERCC medical centre in Alushi from January 2017 to July 2021. A total of 3029 TB presumptive patients were included in the current investigation. The overall TB prevalence was 43.57%. There were 993 (64.90%) males, 10.1% of whom were rifampicin resistant, and 537 (35.09%) females, 34.8% of whom were rifampicin resistant. The highest prevalence is recorded in all age groups, was seen in the age bracket 21-30 with a total of 350 (26.51%) and 327 (24.77%) in the age range 31-40. Findings revealed that having a history of TB medication and being female were both associated with the development of rifampicin-resistant Tuberculosis and patients aged 21 to 40 were more likely than others to be infected with tuberculosis and develop rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis. Because of the high prevalence, immediate action is essential to encourage early identification and the completion of DR-TB medication in order to prevent the disease from spreading in the community, as well as continuous community health education about tuberculosis and the risk of drug resistance

Estimating the Burden of Tuberculosis in India: A Modelling Study.

Measurements TB incidence and mortality are crucial for monitoring progress towards SDG goals for TB. Until recently, WHO estimated TB burden in India with applied simple, transparent equilibrium models to data from Gujarat, an Indian state where the first state-level prevalence survey was conducted in 2011. However, since then there has been several interventions in India including national TB prevalence survey, infection survey, sub-national survey & certification which gives opportunity for national and sub-national estimates for TB incidence and mortality. We developed a model is a compartmental, deterministic framework, taking account of TB natural history, as well as India's healthcare system including health care seeking from public and private sector. To address changes in TB burden owing to COVID disruptions, we followed same model that used by WHO in the global TB Report 2022 with additional impact of delta wave in 2021. Major sources of data included National TB Prevalence survey, trends in caseloads in public and private sector including their contribution and mortality information. We estimated total TB incidence of 2.77 million in the year 2022 as against 2.97 in the year 2015 and corresponding TB mortality of 0.32 and 0.36 million respectively. In terms of rate per 1,00,000 TB incidence in 2022 was 196 as compared to 225 in the year 2015 and mortality was 23 and 27 respectively. TB incidence estimates are similar to what was estimated by WHO, while mortality estimates appear different in our estimates due to different calibration targets depending on in-country published data. Even if TB burden is infeasible to measure directly, a range of data can nonetheless offer indirect evidence for its estimation: mathematical modelling can be a helpful tool for bringing together these diverse sources of evidence, and deriving estimates that are consistent with them all. While the RGI reported mortality is an important source of information, its quality and coverage for medically certified cause of deaths requires improvement in India.

Bayesian spatial modelling of tuberculosis-HIV co-infection in Ethiopia.

An in-depth analysis of the epidemiological patterns of TB/HIV co-infection is essential since it helps to target high-risk areas with effective control measures. The main objective of this study was to assess the spatial clustering of TB/HIV co-infection prevalence in Ethiopia for the year 2018 using district-level aggregated TB and HIV data obtained from the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health. The global Moran's index, Getis-Ord [Formula: see text] local statistic, and Bayesian spatial modeling techniques were applied to analyse the data. The result of the study shows that TB among people living with HIV (PLHIV) and HIV among TB patients prevalence were geographically heterogeneous. The highest prevalence of TB among PLHIV in 2018 was reported in the Gambella region (1.44%). The overall prevalence of TB among PLHIV in Ethiopia in the same year was 0.38% while the prevalence of HIV among TB patients was 6.88%. Both district-level prevalences of HIV among TB patients and TB among PLHIV were positively spatially autocorrelated, but the latter was not statistically significant. The local indicators of spatial analysis using the Getis-Ord statistic also identified hot-spots districts for both types of TB/HIV co-infection data. The results of Bayesian spatial logistic regression with spatially structured and unstructured random effects using the Besag, York, and Mollié prior showed that not all the heterogeneities in the prevalence of HIV among TB patients and TB among PLHIV were explained by the spatially structured random effects. This study expanded knowledge about the spatial clustering of TB among PLHIV and HIV among TB patients in Ethiopia at the district level in 2018. The findings provide information to health policymakers in the country to plan geographically targeted and integrated interventions to jointly control TB and HIV.

Cost to perform door-to-door universal sputum screening for TB in a high-burden community.

BACKGROUND: Population-based active case-finding (ACF) identifies people with TB in communities but can be costly.METHODS: We conducted an empiric costing study within a door-to-door household ACF campaign in an urban community in Uganda, where all adults, regardless of symptoms, were screened by sputum Xpert Ultra testing. We used a combination of direct observation and self-reported logs to estimate staffing requirements. Study budgets were reviewed to collect costs of overheads, equipment, and consumables. Our primary outcome was the cost per person diagnosed with TB.RESULTS: Over a 28-week period, three teams of two people collected sputum from 11,341 adults, of whom 48 (0.4%) tested positive for TB. Screening 1,000 adults required 258 person-hours of effort at a cost of US$402,000, 70% of which was for GeneXpert cartridges. The estimated cost per person screened was $36 (95% uncertainty range [95% UR] 34-38), and the cost per person diagnosed with Xpert-positive TB was $8,400 (95% UR 8,000-8,900). The prevalence of TB in the underlying community was the primary modifiable determinant of the cost per person diagnosed.CONCLUSION: Door-to-door screening can be feasibly performed at scale, but will require effective triage and identification of high-prevalence populations to be affordable and cost-effective.