Results from a roving, active case-finding initiative to improve TB detection among older people in rural Cambodia using the Xpert MTB/RIF assay and chest X-ray
- Authors
- A.J Codlin, M Ky, C Monyrath, Lisanne Gerstel , J Creswell, M.T Eanh
Background: Cambodia has one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) prevalence rates in the world. People aged 55 years and over account for an estimated 50% of the country’s TB burden, yet this group has a low notification rate owing to specific barriers in accessing health services. One-off active case finding (ACF) days with mobile GeneXpert and X-ray systems were organized at 75 government health facilities in four operational districts. Symptomatic community members with an abnormal chest X-ray were tested using the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. People with TB were then treated at health facilities after screening services moved onto the next site.
Methods: De-identified project data were analysed to produce descriptive statistics about the people tested on Xpert and those diagnosed with TB. A linear regression was fit through the 12 quarters of National TB Program (NTP) TB case notification data immediately prior to ACF. The regression was used to calculate trend-expected notifications during and after the ACF quarters. Notifications from the ACF quarters were then compared to actual notifications from the previous year and to the trend-expected notifications during the ACF quarter by age group and type of TB. Finally, NTP TB treatment outcomes for the patients started on treatment during the ACF quarter were compared to those from a year prior.
