Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients' views of interventions to reduce treatment loss to follow-up.

Setting: Patients who initiated treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) at 15 Programmatic Management of Drug-resistant Tuberculosis (PMDT) health facilities in the Philippines between July and December 2012.

Objectives: To describe patients' views of current interventions, and suggest changes likely to reduce MDR-TB loss to follow-up.

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted between April and July 2014 with MDR-TB patients who were undergoing treatment, had finished treatment at the time of the interview (controls), or had been lost to follow-up (LTFU).

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients lost to follow-up: self-reported readiness to restart treatment.

Setting: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients lost to follow-up (LTFU) from Programmatic Management of Drug-resistant Tuberculosis facilities in the Philippines.

Objectives: To gain insight into patients' readiness to return to treatment.

Methods: MDR-TB patients who initiated treatment and were categorized as LTFU were identified using TB registers, contacted, and asked to consent to an interview and medical record review.

Factors Associated with Loss to Follow-up during Treatment for Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis, the Philippines, 2012-2014.

To identify factors associated with loss to follow-up during treatment for multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) in the Philippines, we conducted a case-control study of adult patients who began receiving treatment for rifampin-resistant TB during July 1-December 31, 2012. Among 91 case-patients (those lost to follow-up) and 182 control-patients (those who adhered to treatment), independent factors associated with loss to follow-up included patients' higher self-rating of the severity of vomiting as an adverse drug reaction and alcohol abuse. Protective factors included receiving any type of assistance from the TB program, better TB knowledge, and higher levels of trust in and support from physicians and nurses.

Genotypic characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from household contacts of tuberculosis patients in the Philippines.

Background: The Philippines has an extremely high rate of tuberculosis but little is known about M. tuberculosis genotypes and transmission dynamics in this country. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of household contacts who develop active TB due to direct transmission from an index case in that household.

Responding to the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis crisis: mainstreaming programmatic management to the Philippine National Tuberculosis Programme.

Setting: The Philippines ranks eighth among 27 priority countries for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).

Objective: To describe a model of public-private partnership in MDR-TB management.

Methods: An exploratory study of integrating MDR-TB management initiated in private-public mix DOTS into the National TB Programme (NTP).