Trend of tuberculosis case notification and treatment outcome in Lagos State, Nigeria: a 5-year retrospective study

Assessment of TB underreporting by level of reporting system in Lagos, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Nigeria has an estimated TB prevalence of 219 per 100,000 population. In 2019, Nigeria diagnosed and notified 27% of the WHO-estimated cases of all forms of TB and contributed 11% of the missing TB cases globally.OBJECTIVE: To assess TB underreporting by type and level of health facility (HF), and associated factors in Lagos State, Nigeria.METHODOLOGY: Quantitative secondary data analysis of TB cases was conducted in 2015. χ2 test was used to assess the association between treatment initiation, TB underreporting, local government area (LGA) and HF characteristics.RESULTS: Overall, 2,064 persons with bacteriologically confirmed TB (15.5%) were not matched to patients in sampled TB registers. Treatment status was unknown for 86 cases (IQR 55–97) per LGA. LGAs with higher case-loads had higher proportions of cases with unknown TB status. Discrepant reporting of treated TB was also common (60% HFs). Primary-level TB treatment facilities and unengaged private facilities were less likely to notify.CONCLUSION: There was TB under-reporting across all types and levels of HFs and LGAs. There is a need to revise or strengthen the process of supervision and data quality assurance system at all levels

Hybrid Approach to Estimation of Underreporting of Tuberculosis Case Notification in High-Burden Settings With Weak Surveillance Infrastructure: Design and Implementation of an Inventory Study

BACKGROUND

The greatest risk of infectious disease undernotification occurs in settings with limited capacity to detect it reliably. World Health Organization guidance on the measurement of misreporting is paradoxical, requiring robust, independent systems to assess surveillance rigor. Methods are needed to estimate undernotification in settings with incomplete, flawed, or weak surveillance systems. This study attempted to design a tuberculosis (TB) inventory study that balanced rigor with feasibility for high-need settings.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to design a hybrid TB inventory study for contexts without World Health Organization preconditions. We estimated the proportion of TB cases that were not reported to the Ministry of Health in 2015. The study sought to describe TB surveillance coverage and quality at different levels of TB care provision. Finally, we aimed to identify structural-, facility-, and provider-level barriers to notification and reasons for underreporting, nonreporting, and overreporting.

METHODS

Retrospective partial digitalization of paper-based surveillance and facility records preceded deterministic and probabilistic record linkage; a hybrid of health facilities and laboratory census with a stratified sampling of HFs with no capacity to notify leveraged a priori knowledge. Distinct extrapolation methods were applied to the sampled health facilities to estimate bacteriologically confirmed versus clinical TB. In-depth interviews and focus groups were used to identify causal factors responsible for undernotification and test the acceptability of remedies.

RESULTS

The hybrid approach proved viable and instructive. High-specificity verification of paper-based records in the field was efficient and had minimal errors. Limiting extrapolation to clinical cases improved precision. Probabilistic record linkage is computationally intensive, and the choice of software influences estimates. Record absence, decay, and overestimation of the private sector TB treatment behavior threaten validity, meriting mitigation. Data management demands were underestimated. Treatment success was modest in all sectors (R=37.9%-72.0%) and did not align with treatment success reported by the state (6665/8770, 75.99%). One-fifth of TB providers (36/178, 20%) were doubtful that the low volume of patients with TB treated in their facility merited mastery of the extensive TB notification forms and procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

Subnational inventory studies can be rigorous, relevant, and efficient in countries that need them even in the absence of World Health Organization preconditions, if precautions are taken. The use of triangulation techniques, with minimal recourse to sampling and extrapolation, and the privileging of practical information needs of local decision makers yield reasonable misreporting estimates and viable policy recommendations.

A Comparative Study of Knowledge, Attitude, and Determinants of Tuberculosis-Associated Stigma in Rural and Urban Communities of Lagos State, Nigeria

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is an important public health concern in Nigeria. TB-associated stigma could lead to delayed diagnosis and care, treatment default, and multidrug resistance. Understanding of TB-associated stigma is therefore important for TB control. The study is aimed at determining and comparing the knowledge, attitude, and determinants of TB-associated stigma. Methodology. This was a comparative cross-sectional study among adults in urban and rural areas of Lagos State, Nigeria. Respondents were selected through a multistage sampling technique and interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire, which contained the Explanatory Model Interviewed Catalogue (EMIC) stigma scale. IBM SPSS Statistics Software package version 20 was used for analysis.

Results

A total of 790 respondents were interviewed. High proportions of respondents in rural and urban areas were aware of TB (97.5% and 99.2%, respectively). Respondents in the urban areas had overall better knowledge of TB compared to the rural areas (59.4% vs. 23%; p < 0.001), while respondents in the rural areas had a better attitude to TB (60.5% vs. 49.9%; p = 0.002). The majority of respondents in rural and urban areas had TB-associated stigma (93% and 95.7%, respectively). The mean stigma score was higher in the urban compared to rural areas (17.43 ± 6.012 and 16.54 ± 6.324, respectively, p = 0.046). Marital status and ethnicity were the predictors of TB-associated stigma in the rural communities (AOR-0.257; CI-0.086-0.761; p = 0.014 and AOR–3.09; CI-1.087-8.812; p = 0.034, respectively), while average monthly income and age of respondents were the predictors of TB-associated stigma in urban areas (AOR–0.274; CI–0.009-0.807; p = 0.019 and AOR-0.212; CI–0.057-0.788; p = 0.021, respectively).

Conclusion

TB-associated stigma is prevalent in both rural and urban areas in this study. There is therefore a need to disseminate health appropriate information through the involvement of the community. Also, innovative stigma reduction activities are urgently needed.

Trend of tuberculosis case notifications and their determinants in Africa and South-East Asia during 2000-2018: a longitudinal analysis of national data from 58 countries

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) regions of Africa and South-East Asia are the epicentres of the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic. This study aimed at examining the trend and determinants of TB case notifications in the two regions during 2000-2018.Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of yearly, new TB cases notified to the WHO. We obtained data on potential determinants for the 58 countries in the two regions during 2000-2018. Multivariable longitudinal fixed-effects regression analysis was used to quantify the association between the determinants and TB notifications.Results: During 2000-2018, TB notifications and incidence declined in Africa. In South-East Asia, case notifications increased while the incidence declined, on average, by 2% per year during the same period. After controlling for health, socioeconomic indicators, country and year fixed-effects, each 1% increase in the antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage and the TB treatment success was associated with a decrease per 100,000 population in the TB case notification rate of -1.62 (95% CI: -4.93, -1.90; p = .037) and -0.91(95% CI: -1.54, -0.28; p = .005) respectively. Similarly, each 1-year increase in the life expectancy at birth resulted in a decrease in TB case notification rates of -6.64 (95% CI: -12.32, -0.95; p = .037). By contrast, a 1% increase in the unemployment rate resulted in an increase in TB notification rate of 3.49 cases (95% CI: 0.19, 6.79; p = .039).Conclusion: Improving population health and the broad scale-up of ART coverage could complement existing TB treatment coverage and cure programmes to drive down new cases in Africa and South-East Asia.

Challenges of Tuberculosis Control in Lagos State, Nigeria: A Qualitative Study of Health-Care Providers' Perspectives

Background:

Tuberculosis (TB) burden in Nigeria is a reflection of the challenges of TB control strategy in the country. This study explored the challenges encountered by the health workers in public and private TB treatment centers in Lagos, Nigeria.

Methods:

In-depth interviews were held with 34 health workers providing TB services in private and public health facilities and the Lagos state Program Officer between October 1, 2016 and January 31, 2017. The transcripts were read severally and coded for qualitative data analysis. Themes were developed from coding.

Results:

Insufficient or lack of funds to track patients lost to follow-up, conduct home visits, collect drugs from the central stores, and shortage of laboratory reagents were some of the logistical challenges encountered by the health workers. There was shortage of health workers and some were yet to be trained resulting in work overload. This was situation aggravated by the frequent redeployment and health worker attrition in the public and private sector respectively.

Conclusion:

The government need be proactive and show leadership by finding lasting solutions to the logistical and human resource challenges facing the LAgos State TB and Leprosy Program.