Haytham A Sheerah, Ahmed Arafa, Mansour A Alfaya, Ashraf B AlDerbas, Nouf Bin Muammar, Sarah A Alsalhi, Abdulmajeed Y Alahdal, Hessah A Alsalamah, Abdulrahman M Alqahtani, Shada Alsalamah
{"title":"Digital epidemiology investments, Saudi Arabia.","authors":"Haytham A Sheerah, Ahmed Arafa, Mansour A Alfaya, Ashraf B AlDerbas, Nouf Bin Muammar, Sarah A Alsalhi, Abdulmajeed Y Alahdal, Hessah A Alsalamah, Abdulrahman M Alqahtani, Shada Alsalamah","doi":"10.2471/BLT.25.293876","DOIUrl":"10.2471/BLT.25.293876","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Problem: </strong>Traditional epidemiological surveillance methods are often limited by delays in reporting and fragmented data systems. Saudi Arabia faces additional public health challenges from mass gatherings during Hajj and Umrah, an increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases and rapid urbanization, highlighting the need for investing in digital epidemiology.</p><p><strong>Approach: </strong>Saudi Arabia has accelerated digital transformation in health care through Vision 2030 initiatives. The strategies include health information exchange platforms, analytics driven by artificial intelligence, telemedicine services and digital monitoring systems used during Hajj. We review current initiatives to invest in digital epidemiology in Saudi Arabia, implementation challenges and policy priorities.</p><p><strong>Local setting: </strong>Saudi Arabia's health system operates under a predominantly public model. The health ministry is the main provider, regulator and finance provider of most health-care services. Health-care coverage is nearly universal, with citizens receiving services free of charge through the public system. Ongoing reforms aim to gradually decentralize certain functions.</p><p><strong>Relevant changes: </strong>The initiatives under Vision 2030 have supported disease surveillance, data integration and public health response capacities. Existing digital health reforms have created a foundation for integrating digital epidemiology into routine public health practice. However, challenges remain, including fragmented interoperability between institutions, workforce shortages, unequal digital access, and concerns about data governance, privacy and algorithmic bias.</p><p><strong>Lessons learnt: </strong>Saudi Arabia's experience suggests that digital epidemiology is more effective when integrated within broader digital health reforms. Successful implementation requires not only digital infrastructure, but also workforce development, ethical governance, transparency and mechanisms for integrating digital data into public health decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":9465,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of the World Health Organization","volume":"104 8","pages":"573-578"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13404473/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148599239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"WHO guidance for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: why it matters.","authors":"Tara Ballav Adhikari, Mohammad-Mahdi Rashidi, Patricia Alupo, Alarcos Cieza, Sarah Rylance","doi":"10.2471/BLT.26.296819","DOIUrl":"10.2471/BLT.26.296819","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9465,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of the World Health Organization","volume":"104 8","pages":"526-526A"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13404220/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148599242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wenxi Tang, Qian Peng, Minlin Li, Na Zheng, Tao Zhang, Yipeng Guo, Xing Lin Feng
{"title":"Third-party governance and artificial intelligence for diabetes management in primary health care, China.","authors":"Wenxi Tang, Qian Peng, Minlin Li, Na Zheng, Tao Zhang, Yipeng Guo, Xing Lin Feng","doi":"10.2471/BLT.25.295347","DOIUrl":"10.2471/BLT.25.295347","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Problem: </strong>Fragmented primary health care in China fails to tackle the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases. Despite substantial investment, fewer than half of patients with diabetes achieve glycaemic control.</p><p><strong>Approach: </strong>Tianjin's 2020-2023 reform established a public-private partnership model where WeDoctor managed community health centres under a capitation scheme. This strategy integrated: (i) monthly prepaid capitation covering all diabetes-related outpatient services; (ii) claims auditing and clinical decision support using artificial intelligence (AI); (iii) dedicated health managers for care coordination; and (iv) redesigned services incorporating complication screening and digital medication management. A pilot study including 494 945 patients with diabetes compared three care models from 2022 to 2023: WeDoctor-community health centre care, hospital care and usual care.</p><p><strong>Local setting: </strong>Tianjin city serves 15 million residents through 177 hospitals and 266 community health centres. Chronic disease management is fragmented: the Health Commission regulates care standards, while the Insurance Bureau controls funding.</p><p><strong>Relevant changes: </strong>Visits for diabetes at WeDoctor health centres increased 2.6% (0.7/26.6) but declined 10.6% (-3.8/35.7) for hospital-based care and 2.3% (-0.8/34.1) for usual care. All groups reduced outpatient expenditure. The WeDoctor model generated a 37.62 million United States dollars (US$) surplus, boosted health centre diabetes revenue by 65% (US$ 154 577/237 805) and raised physician annual salaries by 30% (US$ 5172/17 241). More than three quarters of patients expressed satisfaction with and trust in the WeDoctor model.</p><p><strong>Lessons learnt: </strong>Integrating capitation financing with third-party governance and AI support can strengthen primary health care, contain costs and enhance patient-centred care.</p>","PeriodicalId":9465,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of the World Health Organization","volume":"104 8","pages":"566-572"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13404216/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148599227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Herry Susanto, Mega Hasanul Huda, Minh Cuong Duong, Tri Nugraha Susilawati
{"title":"Ebola at a critical juncture: preparedness must outpace transmission.","authors":"Herry Susanto, Mega Hasanul Huda, Minh Cuong Duong, Tri Nugraha Susilawati","doi":"10.2471/BLT.26.296555","DOIUrl":"10.2471/BLT.26.296555","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9465,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of the World Health Organization","volume":"104 7","pages":"442-442A"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13318368/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148359596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Noé Garin, Borja Zarate-Tamames, Esther Vaquero-Alvarez, Paula Gomez-Rivas, Sonia Jornet-Montaña, Jorge Del Estal-Jimenez, Alvaro Narrillos-Moraza, M Angeles Lopez-Montenegro, Saioa Domingo-Echaburu
{"title":"Behaviour change intervention for inhaler disposal, Spain.","authors":"Noé Garin, Borja Zarate-Tamames, Esther Vaquero-Alvarez, Paula Gomez-Rivas, Sonia Jornet-Montaña, Jorge Del Estal-Jimenez, Alvaro Narrillos-Moraza, M Angeles Lopez-Montenegro, Saioa Domingo-Echaburu","doi":"10.2471/BLT.25.294976","DOIUrl":"10.2471/BLT.25.294976","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To analyse metered-dose inhaler disposal behaviour in asthma patients, determine the patient characteristics that contribute to appropriate disposal and quantify the effect of a pharmacy-led educational intervention.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a multicentre cross-sectional study in 40 Spanish hospitals followed by a pre-post quasi-experimental evaluation. We surveyed adults with uncontrolled severe asthma receiving biological therapy to determine sociodemographic, health, environmental attitude and disposal behaviour characteristics. At the time of biological therapy dispensation, we provided patients with an infographic on inhaler environmental impact and appropriate disposal. We resurveyed participants 3 months later to assess changes in knowledge, attitude and disposal behaviour. We identified factors associated with correct inhaler disposal and quantified the impact of the intervention using a multivariate logistic regression and McNemar test, respectively.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Despite 86.7% (435/502) of our study participants valuing environmental conservation and 91.6% (460/502) being aware of medication disposal programmes, only 46.6% (234/502) correctly disposed of inhalers. Factors associated with appropriate disposal included practising household recycling, high perception of inhaler environmental impact, awareness of medication disposal programme, low income and self-reported limitations to daily activities. On resurveying patients 3 months after our pharmacy-led intervention, we observed an increase in correct inhaler disposal to 84.1% (418/497) with parallel gains in awareness and recycling behaviours.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We revealed a discrepancy between the environmental concerns of asthma patients and inhaler disposal behaviour, due to limited knowledge of inhaler environmental impact. We demonstrated that this knowledge gap can be reduced, doubling the correct disposal of inhalers, through a targeted pharmacy-led intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":9465,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of the World Health Organization","volume":"104 7","pages":"454-464"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13318371/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148359522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Solar power for maternal and neonatal care after the Jajarkot earthquake, Nepal.","authors":"Samriddha Rana, Rabin Khadka, Bhoj Raj Bam, Prahlad Dahal, Saugat Pratap Kc, Allison Gocotano","doi":"10.2471/BLT.25.294930","DOIUrl":"10.2471/BLT.25.294930","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Problem: </strong>A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Jajarkot district in Karnali province, Nepal, on 3 November 2023, disrupting electricity supply at essential birthing centres and health posts. The loss of power disabled baby warmers and heating systems, putting mothers and babies at risk.</p><p><strong>Approach: </strong>The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Nepal conducted rapid facility assessments across eight municipalities and identified three priority birthing centres with critical power deficits. In partnership with the health ministry and local authorities, WHO identified local vendors to install hybrid 5.45 kW photovoltaic systems within 17 days of contract initiation to ensure continuous, off-grid power supply.</p><p><strong>Local setting: </strong>The three facilities, serving over 7500 people, are located in steep, mountainous terrain. One of the facilities had no grid connection and the two others relied on unreliable seasonal hydropower, which fails during the winter dry season.</p><p><strong>Relevant changes: </strong>By the end of December 2023, the hybrid photovoltaic systems were operational, providing 24-hour electricity supply. Baby warmers and room heaters were in continuous use, reducing newborn hypothermia risk. Institutional deliveries increased: Pajaru Kha Health Post recorded five deliveries in two weeks following installation compared with none during the preceding winter period (October-December 2023).</p><p><strong>Lessons learnt: </strong>The installation was facilitated by rapid assessment, early engagement of pre-identified local vendors, and use of existing supply chains and technical capacity. Strong coordination among WHO, the health ministry and local governments enabled timely decision-making. Prior health cluster coordination training, clear governance mechanisms, streamlined approvals and access to emergency funding helped maintain momentum and ensure on-schedule procurement and installation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9465,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of the World Health Organization","volume":"104 7","pages":"511-516"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13318369/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148359530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joachim Sturmberg, Maru Mormina, Holger Pfaff, Federica Russo, Mathew Mercuri, Rika Preiser, Valéry Ridde, Peter Delobelle, Garrett Wallace Brown, Fareed Abdullah, Eivind Engebretsen, Kurt C Stange, David Bell, Carmel M Martin, Chris Burman, Felix Tretter, Elisabeth Paul
{"title":"Systemic path to global health 2050.","authors":"Joachim Sturmberg, Maru Mormina, Holger Pfaff, Federica Russo, Mathew Mercuri, Rika Preiser, Valéry Ridde, Peter Delobelle, Garrett Wallace Brown, Fareed Abdullah, Eivind Engebretsen, Kurt C Stange, David Bell, Carmel M Martin, Chris Burman, Felix Tretter, Elisabeth Paul","doi":"10.2471/BLT.25.293951","DOIUrl":"10.2471/BLT.25.293951","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In 2024, the <i>Lancet</i> Commission on Investing in Health proposed targeting investment in 15 priority conditions through 19 modular interventions to improve global health by 2050. While pragmatic, this approach may not fully capture the complex-adaptive nature of health and health systems, nor their social, economic and political determinants. In an iterative, interpretive analysis, proposed global health investment frameworks were mapped against complexity, systems thinking and health epistemology frameworks; five thematic areas were identified for further development: (i) health as emergent from interdependent, social-biological systems; (ii) the non-biomedical determinants driving inequities; (iii) health systems' adaptive requirements; (iv) epistemic injustices that marginalize non-Western perspectives; and (v) the need for context-sensitive, community-led implementation of health measures. Recent major disruptions to international aid financing, while challenging, present a unique opportunity to redesign health investment on more sustainable and locally grounded foundations, where national governments deliberately invest in the social determinants of health as direct health improvement strategies rather than merely as adjacent social policy. To seize this opportunity, we propose five guiding principles for policy-makers: (i) community co-production of interventions; (ii) adaptive governance structures; (iii) complex systems literacy in workforce training to navigate interdependencies and uncertainty; (iv) cross-sectoral partnerships to address determinants of health; and (v) context-sensitive metrics that incorporate community engagement to support learning within health systems. These are not optional enhancements to existing approaches; they are the foundations without which any health investment strategy will continue to treat the symptoms of inequity rather than its causes.</p>","PeriodicalId":9465,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of the World Health Organization","volume":"104 7","pages":"486-494"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13318373/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148359555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dominque Geoffrion, Noelle Whitestone, Jennifer L Patnaik, Samson Tesfaye, Dawit Seyum, Nigusie Fetene, Enock Nsokolo, Lucia Nadaf, Ruth Nswana, Alemayehu Sisay, David H Cherwek, Serge Resnikoff, Phylis Moonga, Jonathan Ncheengamwa, Nathan Congdon
{"title":"Evaluation of an application for investments in cataract surgery, Ethiopia.","authors":"Dominque Geoffrion, Noelle Whitestone, Jennifer L Patnaik, Samson Tesfaye, Dawit Seyum, Nigusie Fetene, Enock Nsokolo, Lucia Nadaf, Ruth Nswana, Alemayehu Sisay, David H Cherwek, Serge Resnikoff, Phylis Moonga, Jonathan Ncheengamwa, Nathan Congdon","doi":"10.2471/BLT.25.293592","DOIUrl":"10.2471/BLT.25.293592","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Problem: </strong>The World Health Organization recommends a benchmark for uncorrected visual acuity of ≥ 6/12 in 80% of patients at 4 to 6 weeks following cataract surgery. In low-resource countries, reaching this benchmark is challenging and assessing progress is difficult.</p><p><strong>Approach: </strong>This intervention involved modest investments recommended by the Better Operative Outcome Software Tool (BOOST) application (app). The investments targeted specific causes of poor cataract surgery results at hospitals in Ethiopia to improve vision outcomes. Fifteen ophthalmic surgeons from 11 public secondary and tertiary eye care centres in five regional Ethiopian states collected pre-intervention data using the BOOST app. Based on 20 consecutive patients with vision < 6/60, BOOST identified case selection, intraoperative complications or postoperative refractive error as the leading causes of poor outcomes. Each facility then invested 2500 United States dollars (US$) to target its leading cause, recorded outcomes for 60 consecutive cataract patients, and then compared the proportion with uncorrected vision ≥ 6/12 before and after the intervention.</p><p><strong>Local setting: </strong>All 11 centres are Orbis International partners and services provided at the facilities are highly subsidized or free of charge.</p><p><strong>Relevant changes: </strong>After implementing targeted interventions at the facilities to address undetected ocular comorbidity, surgical complications or postoperative refractive errors, 501 (56.0%) of 894 patients had good results (≥ 6/12), compared to 289 (32.2%) of 897 patients before the intervention.</p><p><strong>Lessons learnt: </strong>Using the BOOST app as an approach for quality monitoring and improvement enables benchmarking across contexts and can enhance surgical outcomes when paired with recommended targeted investments.</p>","PeriodicalId":9465,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of the World Health Organization","volume":"104 7","pages":"505-510"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13318370/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148359575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Application of tobacco control experience to alcohol consumption measures.","authors":"Prashant Kumar Singh, Chandan Kumar, Shalini Singh","doi":"10.2471/BLT.25.294093","DOIUrl":"10.2471/BLT.25.294093","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Low- and middle-income countries face a rapidly escalating, alcohol-related public health crisis spanning cancer, injury, liver disease, mental health disorders and the complications of human immunodeficiency virus infections. Despite compelling evidence that alcohol is a leading risk factor for premature death and disability, few countries include comprehensive alcohol control policies in their public health agenda. This gap between evidence and policy is critical because evidence-based interventions could decrease the alcohol-attributable disease burden by up to 30% within a decade. We conducted a policy analysis to synthesize evidence from low- and middle-income countries and propose a comprehensive multicomponent framework for alcohol control adapted from experience with tobacco control. Documented achievements show that simultaneously integrating alcohol control into the existing health-care system, introducing regulation, and building institutional capacity can reduce consumption and generate substantial economic returns. However, interference from the alcohol industry in policy, mirroring the historical approach of the tobacco industry, underscores the need for explicit protections. Evidence-based recommendations on implementing alcohol control policies are presented for international agencies, national governments, health-care systems and civil society. These recommendations also draw on global lessons from the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Today, the convergence of robust scientific evidence, proven interventions, successful implementation models and growing political support present an opportunity to advance alcohol control in low- and middle-income countries. The question is not whether comprehensive alcohol control is feasible in resource-constrained settings but whether the global health community will act decisively on the evidence available.</p>","PeriodicalId":9465,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of the World Health Organization","volume":"104 7","pages":"475-485"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13318377/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148359578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Luan Nguyen Quang Vo, Andrew James Codlin, Tushar Garg, Rachel Forse, Luong Van Dinh, Hoa Binh Nguyen, Tuan Dinh Nguyen, Tom Wingfield, Mohammed Ahmed Yassin, Jamie Tonsing, Minh Huy Pham, Kristi Sidney Annerstedt, Jad Shedrawy, Knut Lönnroth, Jacob Creswell
{"title":"A public-private partnership for facility-based tuberculosis screening using chest radiographs, Viet Nam.","authors":"Luan Nguyen Quang Vo, Andrew James Codlin, Tushar Garg, Rachel Forse, Luong Van Dinh, Hoa Binh Nguyen, Tuan Dinh Nguyen, Tom Wingfield, Mohammed Ahmed Yassin, Jamie Tonsing, Minh Huy Pham, Kristi Sidney Annerstedt, Jad Shedrawy, Knut Lönnroth, Jacob Creswell","doi":"10.2471/BLT.25.293810","DOIUrl":"10.2471/BLT.25.293810","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To determine tuberculosis prevalence among health-care facility patients and to assess the effectiveness of chest radiography in facility-based tuberculosis screening.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Our cross-sectional analysis used individual-level data collected during 2020-2023 from adults presenting at 796 health-care facilities participating in a public-private partnership in 15 provinces of Viet Nam. We constructed tuberculosis care cascades stratified by symptomatic presentation according to the World Health Organization (WHO) four-symptom screening and chest radiography. We reported diagnostic yield, number needed to screen and positivity.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Among 1 423 818 participants, 22 598 had bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis. Diagnostic yields were 2.2% (19 289/892 894) among symptomatic individuals with cough, 1.0% (1869/191 677) among symptomatic individuals without cough and 0.4% (1440/339 247) among asymptomatic individuals. Tuberculosis-suggestive chest radiograph results compared with normal results increased bacteriologically confirmed positivity by 9.4 percentage points in symptomatic individuals with cough (17.3%; 18 746/108 650 versus 7.9%; 543/6851), by 4.6 percentage points in symptomatic individuals without cough (12.6%; 1748/13 831 versus 8.0%; 121/1515) and by 7.6 percentage points in asymptomatic individuals (15.0%; 1328/8862 versus 7.4%; 112/1511). Without chest radiography, the number of individuals requiring testing to detect tuberculosis among symptomatic individuals with cough and without a cough would have been 6.5 (1 084 571/165 679) and 5.4 (892 894/165 679) times higher, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Chest radiograph screening can reduce the number of expensive molecular tests used in symptomatic patients and enable tuberculosis diagnosis in asymptomatic patients. Future research should analyse cost and cost-effectiveness of using chest radiography in active and intensified case finding.</p>","PeriodicalId":9465,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of the World Health Organization","volume":"104 7","pages":"465-474"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13318374/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148359540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}