Decentralising TB diagnosis and contact management: impact on detection and preventive treatment in children

Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2025 Jun 27;29(7):312-317. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.24.0573.

Abstract

<sec><title>BACKGROUND</title>The 'CaP-TB' project enhanced paediatric TB care through decentralized services, including screening, specimen collection, chest X-rays and implementation of the three-month rifampicin-isoniazid regimen for TB preventive treatment (TPT). In Cameroon and Uganda, it also included community-based child contact management through the 'CONTACT' study. We assessed the impact of CaP-TB project on TB detection and TPT outcomes in children, focusing on facilities included in 'CONTACT' study.</sec><sec><title>METHODS</title>Using a before-after design with aggregated data, we compared the proportion of children among all notified TB patients and the TPT completion rate for child contacts <5 years old between a pre- (March 2018-March 2019) and per-intervention (September 2020-September 2021) periods. During the intervention, half of the facilities implemented community-based child contact management.</sec><sec><title>RESULTS</title>The proportion of children among all notified TB patients increased from 4.8% (113/2373) to 11% (276/2512) during the intervention (odds ratio [OR] = 2.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.79-2.84). The number of children initiated on TPT increased from 105 to 841 and TPT completion rate from 55.2% (58/105) to 94.9% (798/841), (OR = 33.4, CI: 16.39-68.06).</sec><sec><title>CONCLUSION</title>Decentralizing and strengthening diagnosis and contact management can help overcome barriers to effective TB detection and TPT coverage in children.</sec>.

MeSH terms

  • Antitubercular Agents* / administration & dosage
  • Antitubercular Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Cameroon / epidemiology
  • Child, Preschool
  • Contact Tracing* / methods
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Isoniazid / administration & dosage
  • Isoniazid / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Mass Screening
  • Rifampin / administration & dosage
  • Rifampin / therapeutic use
  • Tuberculosis* / diagnosis
  • Tuberculosis* / drug therapy
  • Tuberculosis* / prevention & control
  • Uganda / epidemiology

Substances

  • Rifampin
  • Antitubercular Agents
  • Isoniazid