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. 2017 Apr 3;6(1):51.
doi: 10.1186/s40249-017-0253-y.

The contribution of a non-governmental organisation's Community Based Tuberculosis Care Programme to case finding in Myanmar: trend over time

Htet Myet Win Maung  1 , Saw Saw  2 , Petros Isaakidis  3 , Mohammed Khogali  3 , Anthony Reid  3 , Nguyen Binh Hoa  4   5 , Ko Ko Zaw  2 , Saw Thein  6 , Si Thu Aung  6
Affiliations

The contribution of a non-governmental organisation's Community Based Tuberculosis Care Programme to case finding in Myanmar: trend over time

Htet Myet Win Maung et al. Infect Dis Poverty. .

Abstract

Background: It is estimated that the standard, passive case finding (PCF) strategy for detecting cases of tuberculosis (TB) in Myanmar has not been successful: 26% of cases are missing. Therefore, alternative strategies, such as active case finding (ACF) by community volunteers, have been initiated since 2011. This study aimed to assess the contribution of a Community Based TB Care Programme (CBTC) by local non-government organizations (NGOs) to TB case finding in Myanmar over 4 years.

Methods: This was a descriptive study using routine, monitoring data. Original data from the NGOs were sent to a central registry within the National TB Programme and data for this study were extracted from that database. Data from all 84 project townships in five regions and three states in Myanmar were used. The project was launched in 2011.

Results: Over time, the number of presumptive TB cases that were referred decreased, except in the Yangon Region, although in some areas, the numbers fluctuated. At the same time, there was a trend for the proportion of cases treated, compared to those referred, that decreased over time (P = 0.051). Overall, among 84 townships, the contribution of CBTC to total case detection deceased from 6% to 4% over time (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Contrary to expectations and evidence from previous studies in other countries, a concerning reduction in TB case finding by local NGO volunteer networks in several areas in Myanmar was recorded over 4 years. This suggests that measures to support the volunteer network and improve its performance are needed. They may include discussion with local NGOs human resources personnel, incentives for the volunteers, closer supervision of volunteers and improved monitoring and evaluation tools.

Keywords: Community based tuberculosis care; Contribution; Operational research; SORT IT.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The location and coverage of CBTBC project 84 townships which were launched in 2011
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. National Tuberculosis Programme . Annual Report 2015. Myanmar: Ministry of Health; 2015.
    1. World Health Organization . Global Tuberculosis Report 2013. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013.
    1. Cho Cho Aung. Treatment seeking behaviour of new sputum smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Shwepyithar Township. Dissertation, MMedSc (Public Health), Institute of Medicine (1), Yangon; 2002.
    1. Tin Mi Mi Khaing, Thandar Lwin, Moe Zaw, Bo Myint, Myo Zaw, Nan Sai Zin, Aye Htun, Osuga, Win Maung. Long delay in tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment in Myanmar. Annotated Bibliography of Research Findings on Tuberculosis in Myanmar. 2008;1:96.

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