Innovative Approaches to Tuberculosis Control

Despite free ARV drugs and free TB treatment, and an expanding DOTS program, TB rates have not diminished in this city overall (29), suggesting that DOTS alone will not be sufficient to turn the tide. Nevertheless, an elemental ACF strategy did appear to work well in this city. A prior International Collaborations in Infectious Disease Research (ICIDR), in one area of Rio de Janeiro, evaluated the use of the WHO's directly observed therapy, short course (DOTS) strategy versus an enhanced DOTS strategy (DOTS-A), which included household contact investigation as a means of identifying cases. A statistically significant reduction in incidence rates between DOTS versus DOTS-A communities was seen from 2000 to 2002 (Figure 2), suggesting that ACF strategies can be instrumental in reducing incidence rates if subjects are detected and treated. Treatment completion rates among new TB cases were not significantly different statistically in the 2 study arms, however treatment completion rates overall increased from 68% to 77% over the course of the study. Overall, the DOTS communities exhibited little change (+7%) in TB incidence over the 5-year period, while DOTS-A communities showed a combined decrease (-14%) (P<0.05). The difference suggests that a large scale ACF campaign at a more intensive level (ie, door-to-door case finding) could have a significant impact on long-term TB incidence in a community.

Inclusion criteria

• All residents of the study communities will be eligible to be surveyed at their homes, regardless of gender, age, or ethnicity.