Location, location, location: tuberculosis services in highest burden countries
Early diagnosis of tuberculosis and rapid treatment initiation are crucial for tuberculosis care and for interrupting transmission and require delivery of tuberculosis care services where most patients seek initial care. In most countries, National Tuberculosis Programs (NTPs) are expected to have basic tuberculosis diagnosis by use of smear microscopy available at the primary care level, via a network of microscopy centres. However, there is little published information on where latent tuberculosis and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) diagnostic and treatment services are exactly available in the highest tuberculosis burden countries.
Sophie Huddart, Emily MacLean and Madhukar Pai addressed this gap by surveying 14 countries that have been identified by WHO as having the highest burden of tuberculosis cases, MDR-TB, and co-infection of HIV and tuberculosis. These countries are Angola, China, DR Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Thailand, and Zimbabwe.
To read the full correspondence published in The Lancet Global Health, click here.
Source: The Lancet Global Health
