Philippines – Active TB Case-finding among High-risk Groups
In the Philippines, almost half of TB cases are undiagnosed. TB symptom screen missed 67% of Bac+ TB, while the Chest X-ray screen missed only 1.8%. However, the availability of radiologists is limited. The National Strategic TB Elimination Plan targets to screen 12% of the population by CXR by 2023.
National rollout of new tools
8 ultra-portable chest X-ray systems with CAD4TB and Truenat were introduced through the iNTP project.
Screening in hard-to-reach areas
Screening targeted geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, including island communities and urban slums.
Point-of-care molecular testing
Presumptive TB cases were evaluated using Truenat testing.
From June to December 2022, UPCXR with CAD were deployed to target areas such as GIDA (difficult terrain and island communities) and SDAs (socially disadvantaged areas such as urban slums where mobile CXR vans cannot reach).
- Also, from September to November 2022, active case-finding was conducted in Bantayan Islands.
- Compared to the previous year with passive case-finding, UPCXR and symptoms screened 14 times more people, and Truenat testing increased 4 times in case detection.
REFERENCE: Mortera, L. (2023, November 15-18). Revolutionizing TB Screening: Using ultra-portable digital X-ray and computer-aided detection software for TB screening in the community and facilities [Conference session]. The Union World Conference on Lung Health 2023, Paris, France. [Conference session]. The Union World Conference on Lung Health 2023, Paris, France.