Assessing tuberculosis under-reporting through inventory studies

Despite the availability of effective treatment, TB is the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease worldwide, after the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The World Health Organization (WHO) has set global targets for reducing the burden of disease caused by TB, including a 50% reduction in TB incidence, prevalence, and mortality by 2015. To assess progress towards these targets, robust monitoring and evaluation of trends in the burden of TB are essential. In 2006, the WHO established a Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement to produce a robust assessment of whether the 2015 targets are achieved at global, regional, and country levels. The Task Force defined three strategic areas of work for the period 2007-2015: strengthening routine surveillance, national surveys of TB prevalence, and periodic review of methods used to translate surveillance and survey data into estimates of TB incidence, prevalence, and mortality. Inventory studies are a key component of TB surveillance, providing a comprehensive assessment of the level of TB under-reporting in a given area. These studies involve collecting data from multiple sources, including health-care providers, to estimate the true burden of TB. The WHO has developed guidelines for conducting inventory studies, including study design, data collection and management, and data analysis and reporting. The WHO guidelines for inventory studies recommend using a combination of study designs, including simple random sampling, capture-recapture methods, and retrospective analysis of existing databases. The guidelines also emphasize the importance of data quality, including the use of standardized data collection tools and the verification of data through record-linkage. Inventory studies have been conducted in several countries, including Yemen and Iraq. These studies have provided valuable insights into the level of TB under-reporting in these countries and have informed the development of targeted interventions to improve TB surveillance and control. The WHO has also established a set of indicators for monitoring progress towards the 2015 targets, including the number of new TB cases, the number of deaths from TB, and the proportion of TB cases and deaths accounted for by surveillance data. These indicators will be used to assess progress towards the 2015 targets and to inform the development of strategies to improve TB surveillance and control. In addition to inventory studies, the WHO has also developed guidelines for national surveys of TB prevalence. These surveys involve collecting data from a representative sample of the population to estimate the prevalence of TB disease. The guidelines recommend using a combination of survey designs, including household surveys and facility-based surveys, and emphasize the importance of data quality and the use of standardized data collection tools. Overall, the WHO's efforts to improve TB surveillance and control are critical to achieving the 2015 targets and reducing the burden of disease caused by TB. Inventory studies and national surveys of TB prevalence are key components of these efforts, providing valuable insights into the level of TB under-reporting and the prevalence of TB disease.