Publications by authors named "Ana W Torrens"
Background: Evidence suggests that social protection policies such as Brazil's Bolsa Família Programme (BFP), a governmental conditional cash transfer, may play a role in tuberculosis (TB) elimination. However, study limitations hamper conclusions. This paper uses a quasi-experimental approach to more rigorously evaluate the effect of BFP on TB treatment success rate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Viral load (VL) monitoring for people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is extremely challenging in resource-limited settings. We assessed the VL testing scale-up in six Médecins Sans Frontières supported health centres in Maputo, Mozambique, during 2014-15.
Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, routine programme data were used to describe VL testing uptake and results, and multi-variate logistical regression to estimate predictors of VL testing uptake and suppression.
Background: Despite the efforts of the National Tuberculosis Programme, TB cure rates in Brazil are sub-optimal. The End TB Strategy for post-2015 identifies conditional cash transfer interventions as powerful tools to improve TB control indicators, including TB cure rate. This study aims to inform the new policy by evaluating the role of the Bolsa Familia Programme (BFP), one of the largest conditional cash transfer programmes in the world, on TB cure rates in Brazil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To describe tuberculosis epidemiological situation in Brazil, as well as program performance indicators in 2001-2010 period, and discuss the relationship between changes observed and control measures implemented in this century first decade.
Methods: It is a descriptive study, data source was the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (Sinan), Mortality Information System (SIM), Unified Health System Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS) and TB Multidrug-resistant Surveillance System (MDR-TB/SS). Indicators analyzed were organized into four major groups: TB control program (TCP) coverage and case detection; morbidity; treatment and TCP performance; and mortality.