Health team training and active community surveillance: strategies for the detection of TB cases.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the impact that Family Health Program (FHP) team training and active surveillance have on the detection of TB cases in a low-income community in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil.


METHODS
The study was performed in an area with approximately 25,000 inhabitants, served by a health care center with five FHP teams, in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil. Although all of the teams were trained, active surveillance was carried out only in one of the areas (area 5). We compared the number of TB cases detected in each of the five areas prior to and after the intervention. We also compared the number of TB cases detected in area 5 to the number of those detected in the other areas, as well as to the citywide number of reported TB cases in Fortaleza, within the same period.


RESULTS
The number of TB cases detected in the area studied increased from 1 in 2002 to 22 in 2004 (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the number of TB cases in area 5 and that observed for each of the other four areas (p > 0.05). There was a significant increase in the number of TB cases detected in the area studied when compared to the city as a whole (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Training and sensitization of FHP professionals were effective in promoting an increase in the number of TB cases detected in a low-income community.
Façanha
Mônica Cardoso
MC
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil. mfacanha@yahoo.com
Melo
Marina Alves
MA
Vasconcelos
Francisca de Fátima
Fde F
Sousa
José Roberto Pereira de
JR
Pinheiro
Adivania de Souza
Ade S
Porto
Ivna Aguiar
IA
Parente
Julianne Martins
JM
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006792:House Calls; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000592:standards*; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011203:Poverty; D013997:Time Factors; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology