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Review
. 2004 Sep;10(9):1523-8.
doi: 10.3201/eid1009.040349.

New measurable indicator for tuberculosis case detection

Martien W Borgdorff  1
Affiliations
Review

New measurable indicator for tuberculosis case detection

Martien W Borgdorff. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004 Sep.

Abstract

The World Health Organization's goal for tuberculosis (TB) control is to detect 70% of new, smear-positive TB cases and cure 85% of these cases. The case detection rate is the number of reported cases per 100,000 persons per year divided by the estimated incidence rate per 100,000 per year. TB incidence is uncertain and not measured but estimated; therefore, the case detection rate is uncertain. This article proposes a new indicator to assess case detection: the patient diagnostic rate. The patient diagnostic rate is the rate at which prevalent cases are detected by control programs and can be measured as the number of reported cases per 100,000 persons per year divided by the prevalence per 100,000. Prevalence can be measured directly through national prevalence surveys. Conducting prevalence surveys at 5- to 10-year intervals would allow countries with high rates of disease to determine their case detection performance by using the patient diagnostic rate and determine the effect of control measures.

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Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
Model 1, used by Styblo, of tuberculosis case detection and treatment outcome in tuberculosis control program. Prevalent cases are those within dotted line.
Figure A2
Figure A2
Models 1 and 2 on tuberculosis case detection. B) Model 2, used by Dye et al. with rate of case detection (PDR). B) the arrows depict rates; A) the arrows depict proportions of cases moving from one compartment to another.
Figure A3
Figure A3
Relationship of case detection rate (CDR) and patient diagnostic rate (PDR) according to model 1 and model 2.
Figure A4
Figure A4
Reduction of prevalence of new smear-positive tuberculosis depending on the case detection rate (CDR) according to model 1 and model 2.
Figure A5
Figure A5
Estimates of the patient diagnostic rate (PDR) in the Netherlands, depending on the duration of symptoms.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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