Accelerating Tuberculosis Case Detection (O&M Phase)

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious disease and has a profoundly damaging socio-economic impact on patients and their families and on the countries where it is endemic. TB case detection is very low and reached only 27% in 2007. Current obstacles to detect TB in Ghana are1) low sensitivity of the standard detection methodology of smear microscopy or sputum analysis2) limited or no access to quality chest images3) high cost of sputum culture and4) limited laboratory capacity.TB can be controlled and diminished with proper and timely diagnosis and treatment. By the introduction of direct digital chest radiology patients and clinicians will be provided with access to an additional diagnostic tool to detect more sputum smear positive/negative as well as extra-pulmonary cases. The present project aims to solve or reduce current obstacles to wider Chest X-ray access and will take digital X-ray equipment where there was no X-ray equipment before. By increasing the case detection rate robustly it will take Ghana into the WHO defined MDG target zone of 70% TB case detection by 2015.