Yield of Tuberculosis Contact Screening and Predictors of Contact Tuberculosis Diagnosis in Bungoma County Hospital, Kenya

Tuberculosis (TB) contact screening though highly recommended is seldom practiced in low- and middle-income countries due to lack of evidence-based approaches best suited to the local setting. We assessed the yield of TB contact screening and predictors of TB diagnosis at a county referral hospital in Western Kenya. We identified clients with TB disease at Bungoma county referral hospital between January and December 2021, who completed a standard questionnaire and identified potential close contacts. We described the characteristics and yield of TB disease among contacts using means, standard deviation, counts and proportions. We used logistic regression to determine factors associated with TB diagnosis for contacts and reported odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). We identified 105 index TB cases who identified 358 contacts. The yield of TB disease among the contacts was 11% (39/353). The mean age of the TB contacts was 29.2 years (SD 19.3) and 87.8% (310/353) were household contacts. Body mass index of 18.5 kg/m2 and above was associated with 89% lower odds of TB disease among contacts (OR 0.11, 95% CI: 0.05-0.25). Contacts who had ever smoked were 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with TB disease (OR 3.10, 95% CI: 1.56-6.15). Contacts who used wood/kerosene for cooking had 3.5 times higher odds of TB disease (OR 3.5 95% CI: 1.05-11.72). Contact screening has a high yield of TB disease. Targeted approach directed towards contacts with malnutrition, smokers, and those using wood/kerosene for cooking may increase TB yield among contacts. Key words: Tuberculosis, Contacts screening and Bungoma