ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: TB is the leading cause of mortality among people living with HIV (PLHIV), for whom isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) has a proven mortality benefit. Despite WHO recommendations, countries have been slow in scaling up IPT. This study describes processes, challenges, solutions, outcomes and lessons learned during IPT scale-up in Kenya.METHODS: We conducted a desk review and analyzed aggregated Ministry of Health (MOH) IPT enrollment data from 2014 to 2018 to determine trends and impact of program activities. We further analyzed IPT completion reports for patients initiated from 2015 to 2017 in 745 MOH sites in Nairobi, Central, Eastern and Western Kenya.RESULTS: IPT was scaled up 75-fold from 2014 to 2018: the number of PLHIV covered increased from 9,981 to 749,890. The highest percentage increases in the cumulative number of PLHIV on IPT were seen in the quarters following IPT pilot projects in 2014 (49%), national launch in 2015 (54%), and HIV treatment acceleration in 2016 (158%). Among 250,069 patients initiating IPT from 2015 to 2017, 97.5% completed treatment, 0.2% died, 0.8% were lost to follow-up, 1.0% were not evaluated, and 0.6% discontinued treatment.CONCLUSIONS: IPT can be scaled up rapidly and effectively among PLHIV. Deliberate MOH efforts, strong leadership, service delivery integration, continuous mentorship, stakeholder involvement, and accountability are critical to program success.
Subject(s)
HIV Infections , Tuberculosis , Antitubercular Agents/therapeutic use , HIV Infections/drug therapy , HIV Infections/epidemiology , Humans , Isoniazid/therapeutic use , Kenya/epidemiology , Tuberculosis/drug therapy , Tuberculosis/epidemiology , Tuberculosis/prevention & controlABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The dual challenge of low diagnostic sensitivity of microscopy test and technical challenge of performing a TB culture test poses a problem for case detection and initiation of Tuberculosis (TB) second-line treatment. There is thus need for a rapid, reliable and easily accessible assay. This comparative analysis was performed to assess diagnostic performance characteristics of GeneXpert MTB/RIF and Line Probe Assay (LPA). METHODS: Three hundred twenty nine sputum samples of patients across the 47 counties in Kenya suspected to have drug resistant TB were picked and subjected to GeneXpert, LPA and Culture MGIT at the National TB Reference Laboratory. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were then determined to assess the performance characteristics of the various assays. RESULTS: Against culture MGIT as the gold standard for TB diagnosis, GeneXpert had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 78.5, 64.9, 59.4 and 82.2% respectively while LPA had 98.4, 66.0, 65.4 and 98.4%. For diagnosis of rifampicin mono-resistance GeneXpert had a moderate agreement (Kappa 0.59, P < 0.01) (sensitivity 62.50%, specificity 96.50%) while LPA that had almost perfect agreement (Kappa = 0.89, p < 0.01) with a (sensitivity 90.0% and specificity 99.1%). CONCLUSION: LPA has a better performance characteristic to GeneXpert and an alternative to culture with regards to detection of RIF's mono-resistance.
Subject(s)
Drug Resistance, Bacterial/genetics , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genetics , Rifampin/therapeutic use , Tuberculosis/diagnosis , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Female , Humans , Kenya , Male , Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/isolation & purification , Nucleic Acid Hybridization/methods , Oxidoreductases/genetics , Reagent Kits, Diagnostic , Sensitivity and Specificity , Sputum/microbiology , Tuberculosis/drug therapyABSTRACT
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an inherited neurocutaneous disorder characterised by seizures, mental retardation, cutaneous lesions and visceral harmatoma. We describe a 4 1/2-year old boy in whom in addition to the commonly described features of TSC, adult-type polycystic kidneys, a scantily reported occurrence, was an associated feature.
