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Home / The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 15, Number 12

A rapid assessment of prevailing policies on tuberculosis contact investigation

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Contact investigation contributes to improving early case detection of tuberculosis (TB). However, its implementation in low-income, high TB burden countries remains limited. A multicountry survey of contact investigation policies was conducted to evaluate the extent of their implementation. Our results showed significant heterogeneity in definitions and procedures, with over 25% of countries unable to provide a clear definition of a contact. Estimates indicate that routine implementation of contact investigation policies globally could help detection of over a quarter of a million cases. International guidelines should be developed to support national TB programmes to initiate and scale up systematic TB contact investigation.

Keywords: GUIDELINES; POLICY; TB CONTACT INVESTIGATION; TB CONTROL; TUBERCULOSIS

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 2: Stop TB Department, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Publication date: 01 December 2011

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  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

    The IJTLD is dedicated to understanding lung disease and to the dissemination of knowledge leading to better lung health. To allow us to share scientific research as rapidly as possible, the IJTLD is fast-tracking the publication of certain articles as preprints prior to their publication. Read fast-track articles.

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