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Background: Infants are a target population for new tuberculosis (TB) vaccines. TB incidence estimates are needed to guide the design of trials. To determine the TB incidence and cohort retention among young children using comprehensive diagnostic methods in a high burden area., Methods: Infants 0-42 days were enrolled. Through 4 monthly follow-up and unscheduled (sick) visits up to the age of 2 years, infants with presumptive TB based on a history of contact, TB symptoms or pre-determined hospitalization criteria were admitted to a case verification ward. Two induced sputa and gastric aspirates were collected for culture and GeneXpert. Mantoux and HIV tests were done. Clinical management was based on the Keith Edwards score. Cases were classified into microbiologically confirmed or radiologic, diagnosed by blinded expert assessment. Cox regression was used to identify risk factors for incident TB and study retention., Results: Of 2900 infants enrolled, 927 (32%) developed presumptive TB, 737/927 (80%) were investigated. Sixty-nine TB cases were diagnosed (bacteriologic and radiologic). All TB incidence was 2/100 person-years of observation (pyo) (95% CI: 1.65-2.65). Nine were bacteriologic cases, incidence 0.3/100 pyo. The radiologic TB incidence was 1.82/100 pyo. Bacteriologic TB was associated with infant HIV infection, higher Keith Edwards scores. Completeness of 4-month vaccinations and HIV infection were positively associated with retention., Conclusions: TB incidence was high. An all TB endpoint would require a sample size of a few thousand children, but tens of thousands, when limited to bacteriologic TB.

Background: In Lagos, Nigeria, approximately 33% of the population suffers from hypertension, yet antihypertensive treatment coverage is low. To improve access to care, a decentralized pharmacy-based hypertension care model was piloted. This study reports on the recruitment strategies used and is part of a larger study to evaluate the feasibility of the care model., Objective: To describe our experience executing three different strategies to recruit hypertensive patients in the program: community hypertension screenings, hospital and pharmacy referral., Methods: Individuals with elevated blood pressure and no history of cardiovascular disease were referred to the program's recruitment days to see a medical doctor for hypertension diagnosis and enrollment. Individuals were referred from community screenings, tertiary hospital outpatient clinics, and pharmacies participating in the program. For the community screenings, we report the number needed to screen (NNS) to find one individual with elevated blood pressure, the NNS to enroll one individual in the program, and factors associated with enrollment in the program among participants referred., Results: We recruited 226 individuals (69%) in the program via the pharmacies, 97 (30%) via the community screenings, and 2 (<1%) via hospital referral. At the community screenings 3,204 individuals participated, 729 (23%) had elevated blood pressure and 618 (85%) were eligible for referral of whom 142 (23%) visited the recruitment days, and 97 (16%) enrolled. The NNS to find one individual with elevated blood pressure was 5, and the NNS to enroll one individual was 34. Enrollment in the program was associated with advancing age, blood pressure ≥160/100 and currently using antihypertensive medication., Conclusions: Despite the potential attractiveness of community screenings to identify and refer individuals with hypertension, enrollment in the program was low. For future programs we recommend pharmacy referral as individuals seem more inclined to access care through healthcare providers they are familiar with.

Background: The findings of a prevalence survey conducted in western Kenya, in a population with 14.9% HIV prevalence suggested inadequate case finding. We found a high burden of infectious and largely undiagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), that a quarter of the prevalent cases had not yet sought care, and a low case detection rate., Objective and Methods: We aimed to identify factors associated with inadequate case finding among adults with PTB in this population by comparing characteristics of 194 PTB patients diagnosed in a health facility after self-report, i.e., through passive case detection, with 88 patients identified through active case detection during the prevalence survey. We examined associations between method of case detection and patient characteristics, including HIV-status, socio-demographic variables and disease severity in univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses., Findings: HIV-infection was associated with faster passive case detection in univariable analysis (crude OR 3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0-5.9), but in multivariable logistic regression this was largely explained by the presence of cough, illness and clinically diagnosed smear-negative TB (adjusted OR (aOR) HIV 1.8, 95% CI 0.85-3.7). Among the HIV-uninfected passive case detection was less successful in older patients aOR 0.76, 95%CI 0.60-0.97 per 10 years increase), and women (aOR 0.27, 95%CI 0.10-0.73). Reported current or past alcohol use reduced passive case detection in both groups (0.42, 95% CI 0.23-0.79). Among smear-positive patients median durations of cough were 4.0 and 6.9 months in HIV-infected and uninfected patients, respectively., Conclusion: HIV-uninfected patients with infectious TB who were older, female, relatively less ill, or had a cough of a shorter duration were less likely found through passive case detection. In addition to intensified case finding in HIV-infected persons, increasing the suspicion of TB among HIV-uninfected women and the elderly are needed to improve TB case detection in Kenya.

Background: We conducted a tuberculosis (TB) prevalence survey and evaluated the screening methods used in our survey, to assess if screening in TB prevalence surveys could be simplified, and to assess the accuracy of screening algorithms that may be applicable for active case finding., Methods: All participants with a positive screen on either a symptom questionnaire, chest radiography (CXR) and/or sputum smear microscopy submitted sputum for culture. HIV status was obtained from prevalent cases. We estimated the accuracy of modified screening strategies with bacteriologically confirmed TB as the gold standard, and compared these with other survey reports. We also assessed whether sequential rather than parallel application of symptom, CXR and HIV screening would substantially reduce the number of participants requiring CXR and/or sputum culture., Results: Presence of any abnormality on CXR had 94% (95%CI 88-98) sensitivity (92% in HIV-infected and 100% in HIV-uninfected) and 73% (95%CI 68-77) specificity. Symptom screening combinations had significantly lower sensitivity than CXR except for 'any TB symptom' which had 90% (95%CI 84-95) sensitivity (96% in HIV-infected and 82% in HIV-uninfected) and 32% (95%CI 30-34) specificity. Smear microscopy did not yield additional suspects, thus the combined symptom/CXR screen applied in the survey had 100% (95%CI 97-100) sensitivity. Specificity was 65% (95%CI 61-68). Sequential application of first a symptom screen for 'any symptom', followed by CXR-evaluation and different suspect criteria depending on HIV status would result in the largest reduction of the need for CXR and sputum culture, approximately 36%, but would underestimate prevalence by 11%., Conclusion: CXR screening alone had higher accuracy compared to symptom screening alone. Combined CXR and symptom screening had the highest sensitivity and remains important for suspect identification in TB prevalence surveys in settings where bacteriological sputum examination of all participants is not feasible.