11 Feb Nigeria: Active case finding in designated health facilities increases notifications
[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_separator type=”normal” thickness=”2″ up=”20″ down=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”nivo” interval=”3″ images=”2452″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]The Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) in Nigeria, with support from the Global Fund, conducted TB sensitization and active case finding in the out-patient departments of 10 health facilities across the country. This strategy was implemented in 2 high-burden facilities in each of the following 5 states: Kano and Kaduna in the north, and Lagos, Oyo and Osun in the south.
Among the selected facilities were surgical, antenatal, dermatology, pediatric and medical out-patient clinics. In Q1 of 2018, 2 cough officers per clinic were recruited and trained. In Q2 they began conducting sensitization on a daily basis at the facilities to increase TB awareness in patients attending the clinics and among their accompanying relatives, and to identify people with presumptive TB.
Cough officers also worked in collaboration with the general out-patient department staff to triage people with signs and symptoms of TB. They collected samples for testing through GeneXpert and smear microscopy, ensured proper documentation of patients and record of their contact information. Once the test results were available, they worked with DOTs officers to link people with diagnosed TB to treatment and to perform contact tracing.
Between Q2 and Q3, 2018, a total of 5,476 people were screened for TB in these 10 facilities, out of which 775 were confirmed and put on treatment. At state level, the intervention contributed 100% of all the cases notified in the two designated facilities in Q2 2018 and 96% of those notified in Q3 2018 in Osun state, and 25% and 100% in the respective quarters in the two targeted facilities in Lagos state.
Experiences and lesson learnt from this intervention will serve to inform the scale-up of this project to all high-burden facilities in the country in the New Funding Global Fund grant from January 2019 to December 2020.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]