Treatment outcomes of tuberculosis patients detected by active case finding under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme during 2018 in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand

BACKGROUND: In India, the active case-finding (ACF) strategy began in 2017 under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme to find its missing tuberculosis (TB) cases. Few studies have been conducted in India to assess the treatment outcome of TB patients detected by ACF. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the treatment outcomes of patients detected through ACF campaigns during the year 2018 in Haridwar district, Uttarakhand. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study which used the existing data and records. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ACF campaign records of 2018 were extracted from six TB units of Haridwar district. Details of sociodemographic, clinical profile, and treatment outcome of 100 diagnosed patients were obtained and analyzed. RESULTS: Out of the total 100 TB patients detected, the site of disease was pulmonary in 98% of patients. Almost all (92%) the patients were diagnosed microbiologically and treatment was initiated by 78% of the patients. The proportion of successful treatment outcome was found in 64% of the patients. The median time interval from diagnosis to treatment was found to be 2 days. CONCLUSION: In spite of these efforts of ACF, a high proportion of initial loss to follow-up (22%) and unsuccessful treatment outcome (18%) among ACF patients is a major concern. Findings of ACF campaign pose a concern for active follow-up after diagnosis and close monitoring during treatment.