Impact of intensified tuberculosis case finding at health facilities on case notifications in Cameroon: A controlled interrupted time series analysis
- Authors
- Zourriyah Adamou Mana , Chrysal Ngouateu Beaudou , Kamga Fotue Jean Hilaire , Joceline Konso , Carole Ndahbove , Yvonne Waindim , Maurice Ganava , Toussaint Malama , Christian Matip , Paul Meoto , Irene Adeline Goupeyou Wandji , Mercy Fundoh , Cyrille Mbuli , Vuchas Comfort , Pride Teyim , Sandra Alba, Jacob Creswell, , Vincent Mbassa , Melissa Sander
There is a large gap between the number of people who develop tuberculosis (TB) and those who are diagnosed, treated and notified, with only an estimated 71% of people with TB notified globally in 2019. Implementing better TB case finding strategies is necessary to close this gap.
In Cameroon, 1,597 healthcare workers at 725 health facilities were trained and engaged to intensively screen and test people for TB, then follow-up to link people to appropriate care. Primary care centers were linked to TB testing through a locally-tailored specimen referral network. This intervention was implemented across 6 regions of the country, with a population of 16 million people, while the remaining 4 regions in the country, with 7.3 million people, served as a control area.