Low Detection Rate of Multidrug-Resistant and Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Trend Analysis 2013-2017

Abstract

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the countries with a high preva-lence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Africa and worldwide. This study aims to describe the trends and level of screening since 2013. This is a retrospective descriptive study based on quarterly reports from the provinces. The number of cases, past histories, age, sex and HIV Co-infection was identi-fied. It emerges that the number of cases increases significantly but does not reach the forecasts yet (912 cases of MDR/RR and XDR diagnosed in 2017 out of 3948 cases expected with a gap of 77%). Patients with a history of TB pre-dominate (63.5% in 2017); but the proportion of patients with no history of TB increases (36.5% in 2017). This suggests high rates among contacts. Women (37.8%) and children under 15 (2.7%) are less represented. TB/HIV Co-infection is 12% as for sensitive cases. Efforts still need to be made to improve screening.