Mapping TB incidence across districts in Uganda to inform health program activities

BACKGROUND: Identifying spatial variation in TB burden can help national TB programs effectively allocate resources to reach and treat all people with TB. However, data limitations pose challenges for subnational TB burden estimation. METHODS: We developed a small-area modeling approach using geo-po...

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Main Authors: N.J. Henry, S. Zawedde-Muyanja, R.K. Majwala, S. Turyahabwe, R.V. Barnabas, R.C. Reiner, Jr, C.E. Moore, J.M. Ross
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) 2024-05-01
Series:IJTLD Open
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Online Access:https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/iuatld/ijtldo/2024/00000001/00000005/art00005
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author N.J. Henry
S. Zawedde-Muyanja
R.K. Majwala
S. Turyahabwe
R.V. Barnabas
R.C. Reiner, Jr
C.E. Moore
J.M. Ross
author_facet N.J. Henry
S. Zawedde-Muyanja
R.K. Majwala
S. Turyahabwe
R.V. Barnabas
R.C. Reiner, Jr
C.E. Moore
J.M. Ross
author_sort N.J. Henry
collection DOAJ
description BACKGROUND: Identifying spatial variation in TB burden can help national TB programs effectively allocate resources to reach and treat all people with TB. However, data limitations pose challenges for subnational TB burden estimation. METHODS: We developed a small-area modeling approach using geo-positioned prevalence survey data, case notifications, and geospatial covariates to simultaneously estimate spatial variation in TB incidence and case notification completeness across districts in Uganda from 2016–2019. TB incidence was estimated using 1) cluster-level data from the national 2014–2015 TB prevalence survey transformed to incidence, and 2) case notifications adjusted for geospatial covariates of health system access. The case notification completeness surface was fit jointly using observed case notifications and estimated incidence. RESULTS: Estimated pulmonary TB incidence among adults varied >10-fold across Ugandan districts in 2019. Case detection increased nationwide from 2016 to 2019, and the number of districts with case detection rates >70% quadrupled. District-level estimates of TB incidence were five times more precise than a model using TB prevalence survey data alone. CONCLUSION: A joint spatial modeling approach provides useful insights for TB program operation, outlining areas where TB incidence estimates are highest and health programs should concentrate their efforts. This approach can be applied in many countries with high TB burden.
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spelling doaj-art-9dcb90d3adc543128a7265e5b4d06e3f2025-01-21T10:40:46ZengInternational Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union)IJTLD Open3005-75902024-05-011522322910.5588/ijtldopen.23.06245Mapping TB incidence across districts in Uganda to inform health program activitiesN.J. Henry0S. Zawedde-Muyanja1R.K. Majwala2S. Turyahabwe3R.V. Barnabas4R.C. Reiner, Jr5C.E. Moore6J.M. Ross7Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Information Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala,Uganda Ministry of Health, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Program, Kampala, Uganda;Uganda Ministry of Health, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Program, Kampala, Uganda;Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA,Department of Health Metrics Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA,The Centre for Neonatal and Paediatric Infection, Infection and Immunity Institute, St George’s, University of London, London, UK;Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USABACKGROUND: Identifying spatial variation in TB burden can help national TB programs effectively allocate resources to reach and treat all people with TB. However, data limitations pose challenges for subnational TB burden estimation. METHODS: We developed a small-area modeling approach using geo-positioned prevalence survey data, case notifications, and geospatial covariates to simultaneously estimate spatial variation in TB incidence and case notification completeness across districts in Uganda from 2016–2019. TB incidence was estimated using 1) cluster-level data from the national 2014–2015 TB prevalence survey transformed to incidence, and 2) case notifications adjusted for geospatial covariates of health system access. The case notification completeness surface was fit jointly using observed case notifications and estimated incidence. RESULTS: Estimated pulmonary TB incidence among adults varied >10-fold across Ugandan districts in 2019. Case detection increased nationwide from 2016 to 2019, and the number of districts with case detection rates >70% quadrupled. District-level estimates of TB incidence were five times more precise than a model using TB prevalence survey data alone. CONCLUSION: A joint spatial modeling approach provides useful insights for TB program operation, outlining areas where TB incidence estimates are highest and health programs should concentrate their efforts. This approach can be applied in many countries with high TB burden.https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/iuatld/ijtldo/2024/00000001/00000005/art00005modellingtuberculosistb preventiontb control program
spellingShingle N.J. Henry
S. Zawedde-Muyanja
R.K. Majwala
S. Turyahabwe
R.V. Barnabas
R.C. Reiner, Jr
C.E. Moore
J.M. Ross
Mapping TB incidence across districts in Uganda to inform health program activities
IJTLD Open
modelling
tuberculosis
tb prevention
tb control program
title Mapping TB incidence across districts in Uganda to inform health program activities
title_full Mapping TB incidence across districts in Uganda to inform health program activities
title_fullStr Mapping TB incidence across districts in Uganda to inform health program activities
title_full_unstemmed Mapping TB incidence across districts in Uganda to inform health program activities
title_short Mapping TB incidence across districts in Uganda to inform health program activities
title_sort mapping tb incidence across districts in uganda to inform health program activities
topic modelling
tuberculosis
tb prevention
tb control program
url https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/iuatld/ijtldo/2024/00000001/00000005/art00005
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