Evaluation of the Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Surveillance System, Brazil, 2013-2017

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the Brazilian Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Surveillance System (DRTB-SS). Methods: this was an evaluative study, following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, using national data from the Special Tuberculosis Treatment Information System (SITETB), and the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), from 2013 to 2017. Results: average data completeness was 95% (schooling [89.1%; 5,417/6,078], nationality [94.7%; 5,754/6,078], race/skin color [99.1%; 6,023/6,078], type of resistance [98.6%; 5,995/6,078], clinical form [100%; 6,078/6,078], and HIV test [87%; 5,289/6,078]); average proportion of cases with sputum cultures performed was 65.7% (culture 1 [94.8%; 5,764/6,078], culture 2 [69.8%; 4,241/6,078], culture 3 [54.7%, 3,324/6,078], and culture 4 [43.6%; 2,652/6,078]); DRTB-SS reported 52% (1,197/2,300) of multi-resistant cases estimated by the World Health Organization in 2015, 41.3% (990/2,400) in 2016, and 45.8% (1,100/2,400) in 2017. Conclusion: low DRTB-SS sensitivity suggests the need for improved access to DRTB diagnosis.