Improving TB care services among coal mine workers and their associated communities in Pakistan.

IF 1.6 Q4 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Public Health Action Pub Date : 2025-09-03 eCollection Date: 2025-09-01 DOI:10.5588/pha.25.0011

K U Eman, G N Kazi, Z Z Qin, J Creswell, S A Raisani, U R Lodhi, N A Vasquez, S John

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Abstract

Setting: Five major coal mining districts in Balochistan, Pakistan.

Objectives: To assess burden of TB among coal miners and their associated communities and establish linkages with TB care services.

Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted to find TB cases through active case finding. The target population included people working at coal mining sites and surrounding communities residing within 10 km, including coal miners' families and other individuals. Verbal symptom screening was carried out via mobile camps and community outreach. Sputum was collected from screened positive individuals and tested for TB on GeneXpert. TB cases diagnosed were linked with TB care services.

Results: A total of 14,541 individuals including 8,149 (56%) coal miners were screened. Of the people screened, 81% were male, median age was 31 years, 2,274 (15.6%) had TB symptoms, and 34 confirmed TB cases were diagnosed. All 34 TB patients were linked to care and 32 completed treatments successfully. The estimated TB prevalence was 234 cases per 100,000 population (95% confidence interval: 150.6-316.5), with no significant difference between coal miners and associated communities.

Conclusion: Similar TB prevalence among coal miners and associated communities reflects shared vulnerability. Use of more sensitive screening tools is recommended to validate prevalence estimates in future studies.

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改善巴基斯坦煤矿工人及其相关社区的结核病治疗服务。

背景：巴基斯坦俾路支省的五个主要煤矿区。目的：评估煤矿工人及其相关社区的结核病负担，并建立与结核病治疗服务的联系。设计：采用横断面研究，通过主动病例发现发现结核病例。目标人群包括在煤矿现场工作的人员和居住在10公里范围内的周围社区，包括煤矿工人的家庭和其他个人。通过流动营地和社区外展开展语言症状筛查。从筛选阳性个体收集痰液，并在GeneXpert上进行结核病检测。诊断出的结核病病例与结核病治疗服务有关。结果：共筛查14541人，其中煤矿工人8149人（56%）。在接受筛查的人群中，81%为男性，年龄中位数为31岁，2274人（15.6%）有结核病症状，34例确诊结核病病例得到诊断。所有34名结核病患者都获得了护理，32名患者成功完成了治疗。估计结核病患病率为每10万人234例（95%可信区间：150.6-316.5），在煤矿工人和相关社区之间无显著差异。结论：煤矿工人和相关社区的结核病患病率相似，反映了共同的脆弱性。建议在未来的研究中使用更敏感的筛查工具来验证患病率估计。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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Public Health Action RESPIRATORY SYSTEM-

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期刊介绍： Launched on 1 May 2011, Public Health Action (PHA) is an official publication of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union). It is an open access, online journal available world-wide to physicians, health workers, researchers, professors, students and decision-makers, including public health centres, medical, university and pharmaceutical libraries, hospitals, clinics, foundations and institutions. PHA is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that actively encourages, communicates and reports new knowledge, dialogue and controversy in health systems and services for people in vulnerable and resource-limited communities — all topics that reflect the mission of The Union, Health solutions for the poor.