Feasibility of a social protection linkage program for individuals at-risk for tuberculosis in Uganda.

Social protection interventions have the potential to accelerate progress towards global tuberculosis (TB) targets. We piloted a screening and linkage program at four community health centers (HC) to enroll adults seeking TB diagnostic evaluation services into existing government-supported social protection programs in Uganda. From May-December 2021, health center staff were asked to screen adults being evaluated for TB for eligibility for government-supported social protection programs, and to refer eligible people to a sub-county community development office (CDO) responsible for enrolling community members into government-supported social protection programs. Linkage was facilitated with a transportation reimbursement via mobile money and referral documentation confirming program eligibility. We assessed feasibility using programmatic data and conducted post-intervention surveys to understand experiences with the linkage program. Of 855 people undergoing TB evaluation, 655 (76%) adults met criteria for at least one government-supported social protection program. 25 (4%) of those were not interested in referral; the rest were referred to their local CDO. While 386 (61%) of the 630 participants reported to the CDO seeking social protection enrolment, only 122 (32%) of those were ultimately enrolled into a social protection scheme, representing only 19% (n = 655) of those eligible. In surveys conducted among 97 participants, 46 of the 60 (77%) people who reported that they sought enrollment at the CDO were not enrolled into a social protection program. Reasons provided for non-enrollment among these 46 participants were either unknown (n = 25, 54%) or due to operational challenges at the CDO including a lack of human resources or available groups to join in the social protection program (n = 20, 43%). 61 survey participants (63%) indicated that they would not have sought social protection enrollment without the referral program. Overall, we found that most adults seeking TB diagnostic evaluation are eligible for and interested in obtaining government-supported social protection. We found facilitated linkage from HCs to CDOs offering social protection services to be feasible, however ultimate enrollment into programs was limited. Additional research is needed to identify strategies to improve access to existing social protection programs for eligible TB-affected individuals. Trial Registration: Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR201906852160014).

The socioeconomic burden of pediatric tuberculosis and role of child-sensitive social protection.

BACKGROUND: Households of children with tuberculosis (TB) experience financial and social hardships, but TB-specific social protection initiatives primarily focus on adults. METHODS: We conducted a single-arm, pilot study of multi-component supportive benefits for children with pulmonary TB in Kampala, Uganda. At diagnosis, participants received in-kind coverage of direct medical costs, a cash transfer, and patient navigation. Caregivers were surveyed before diagnosis and 2 months into TB treatment on social and financial challenges related to their child's illness, including estimated costs, loss of income and dissaving practices. RESULTS: We included 368 children from 321 households. Pre-diagnosis, 80.1% of caregivers reported that their child's illness negatively impacted household finances, 44.1% of caregivers missed work, and 24% engaged in dissaving practices. Catastrophic costs (> 20% annual income) were experienced by 18.4% (95% CI 13.7-24.0) of households. School disruption was common (25.6%), and 28% of caregivers were concerned their child was falling behind in development. Two months post-diagnosis, 12 households (4.8%) reported being negatively affected by their child's TB disease (difference -75.2%, 95% CI -81.2 to -69.2, p < 0.001), with limited ongoing loss of income (1.6%) or dissavings practices (0.8%). Catastrophic costs occurred in one household (0.4%) at 2 months post-diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Households face financial and social challenges prior to a child's TB diagnosis, and child-sensitive social protection support may mitigate ongoing burden.

The impact of social protection interventions on treatment and socioeconomic outcomes of people with tuberculosis and their households: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death due to infectious disease worldwide. People with TB and their households often suffer social and economic losses due to the cost of tuberculosis care. The World Health Organization 2015 End TB strategy called for socioeconomic support through social protection interventions. Social protection has the potential to enable people with TB and their households to break the cycle of TB and poverty, thereby improving both treatment and socioeconomic outcomes. This study aims to evaluate whether people with TB who are recipients of social protection interventions have better treatment and socioeconomic outcomes than those who are not recipients of social protection interventions. Methods: We will systematically review literature published in English between 2012 and 2021 from PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, and grey literature from Google Scholar and selected, relevant databases. We will include studies that describe a social protection intervention (as defined by the World Bank) and report on TB treatment outcomes and/or socioeconomic outcomes. We will only include studies pertaining to populations in low-and-middle-income countries and/or countries with high TB burden. We will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Study quality will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias for randomized controlled trials and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale for non-randomised controlled studies. If sufficient quantitative data are available, we will perform a meta-analysis of aggregated outcomes. Lastly, we will use the Grading Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation to describe the overall quality of evidence. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review, as all data extraction and analysis will be conducted on published documents. We will disseminate this protocol through conference presentations. The systematic review has been registered prospectively in the PROSPERO database (registration number CRD42022382181).

Evaluating Social Protection Policies With an Implementation Science Framework: India's Direct Benefit Transfer for Tuberculosis Comment on "Does Direct Benefit Transfer Improve Outcomes Among People With Tuberculosis? - A Mixed-Methods Study on the Need for a Review of the Cash Transfer Policy in India".

Addressing the social and structural determinants of tuberculosis (TB) through social protection programs is a central feature of global public health policy and disease elimination strategies. However, how best to implement such programs remains unknown. India's direct benefit transfer (DBT) program is the largest cash transfer program in the world dedicated to supporting individuals affected by TB. Despite several studies aimed at evaluating the impact of DBT, many questions remain about its implementation, mechanisms of action, and effectiveness. Dave and Rupani's mixed-methods evaluation of this program previously published in this journal offers valuable insights into the strengths and limitations of the DBT program in improving TB treatment outcomes. Their results also provide an opportunity for demonstrating how systematically collected data may be further analyzed and presented using implementation science, a field of study using methods to promote the systematic uptake of evidence-based interventions to support sustainable program scale-up.

Evaluating the impact of cash transfers on tuberculosis (ExaCT TB): a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Mitigating financial barriers to tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment is a core priority of the global TB agenda. We evaluated the impact of a cash transfer intervention on completion of TB testing and treatment initiation in Uganda. Methods: We conducted a pragmatic complete stepped wedge randomised trial of a one-time unconditional cash transfer at 10 health centres between September 2019 and March 2020. People referred for sputum-based TB testing were enrolled to receive UGX 20 000 (∼USD 5.39) upon sputum submission. The primary outcome was the number initiating treatment for micro-bacteriologically confirmed TB within 2 weeks of initial evaluation. The primary analysis included cluster-level intent-to-treat and per-protocol analyses using negative binomial regression. Results: 4288 people were eligible. The number diagnosed with TB initiating treatment was higher in the intervention period versus the pre-intervention period (adjusted rate ratio (aRR)=1.34) with a 95% CI of 0.62-2.91 (p=0.46), indicating a wide range of plausible true intervention effects. More were referred for TB testing (aRR=2.60, 95% CI 1.86-3.62; p<0.001) and completed TB testing (aRR=3.22, 95% CI 1.37-7.60; p=0.007) per National Guidelines. Results were similar but attenuated in per-protocol analyses. Surveys revealed that while the cash transfer supported testing completion, it was insufficient to address long-term underlying social/economic barriers. Interpretation: While it is uncertain whether a single unconditional cash transfer increased the number of people diagnosed and treated for TB, it did support higher completion of diagnostic evaluation in a programmatic setting. A one-time cash transfer may offset some but not all of the social/economic barriers to improving TB diagnosis outcomes.

Social Protection Interventions for TB-Affected Households: A Scoping Review.

Tuberculosis (TB) and poverty are inextricably linked. Catastrophic costs of TB illness drive TB-affected households into worsening impoverishment and hamper treatment success. The WHO's End TB Strategy recommends social protection for TB-affected households to mitigate financial shock and improve TB outcomes. This scoping review maps the landscape of social protection interventions for people with TB and their households in low- and middle-income countries with high TB burden. A systematic search of Medline, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science for relevant articles was performed, supplemented with a gray literature search of key databases. Articles were included if they described social protection available to people with TB and TB-affected households in a low- or middle-income country. Data were synthesized in tabular form, and descriptive narrative outlined the successes and challenges of the social protection interventions identified. The search identified 33,360 articles. After abstract screening, 74 articles underwent full text screening, and 49 were included in the final analysis. Forty-three types of social protection were identified, of which 24 were TB specific (i.e., only people with TB were eligible). Varying definitions were used to describe similar social protection interventions, which limited cross-study comparison. Intervention successes included acceptability and increased financial autonomy among recipients. Challenges included delays in intervention delivery and unexpected additional bank transfer fees. A wide range of acceptable social protection interventions are available, with cash transfer schemes predominating. Use of standardized definitions of social protection interventions would facilitate consolidation of evidence and enhance design and implementation in future.

A Matter of Inclusion: A Cluster-Randomized Trial to Access the Effect of Food Vouchers Versus Traditional Treatment on Tuberculosis Outcomes in Brazil.

We assessed the effectiveness of food vouchers as a social protection strategy to enhance the adherence to tuberculosis treatment in health-care facilities in Brazil between 2014 and 2017. A cluster-randomized controlled trial was performed in four Brazilian capital cities. A total of 774 adults with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis were included in this study. Eligible participants initiated standard tuberculosis treatment per National Tuberculosis Program guidelines. Health clinics were assigned randomly to intervention groups (food voucher or standard treatment). The food voucher was provided by researchers, which could be used by subjects only for buying food. Most people with tuberculosis were poor, did receive benefits of the Bolsa Familia Program, and were unemployed. By Poisson regression analysis, with the total number of subjects included in the study, we found that individuals with tuberculosis who received food vouchers had a 1.13 greater risk of cure (95% CI, 1.03-1.21) compared with those who did not receive food vouchers. The provision of food vouchers improved outcomes of tuberculosis treatment and it should be enhanced even further as social protection for people with tuberculosis.

COVID-19 Testing Strategies for K-12 Schools in California: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

Public health officials must provide guidance on operating schools safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from April-December 2021, we conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis to assess six screening strategies for schools using SARS-CoV-2 antigen and PCR tests and varying screening frequencies for 1000 individuals. We estimated secondary infections averted, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), cost per QALY gained, and unnecessary school days missed per infection averted. We conducted sensitivity analyses for the more transmissible Omicron variant. Weekly antigen testing with PCR follow-up for positives was the most cost-effective option given moderate transmission, adding 0.035 QALYs at a cost of USD 320,000 per QALY gained in the base case (Reff = 1.1, prevalence = 0.2%). This strategy had the fewest needlessly missed school days (ten) per secondary infection averted. During widespread community transmission with Omicron (Reff = 1.5, prevalence = 5.8%), twice weekly antigen testing with PCR follow-up led to 2.02 QALYs gained compared to no test and cost the least (USD 187,300), with 0.5 needlessly missed schooldays per infection averted. In periods of moderate community transmission, weekly antigen testing with PCR follow up can help reduce transmission in schools with minimal unnecessary days of school missed. During widespread community transmission, twice weekly antigen screening with PCR confirmation is the most cost-effective and efficient strategy. Schools may benefit from resources to implement routine asymptomatic testing during surges; benefits decline as community transmission declines.

Risk factor targeting for vaccine prioritization during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A key public health question during any disease outbreak when limited vaccine is available is who should be prioritized for early vaccination. Most vaccine prioritization analyses only consider variation in risk of infection and death by a single risk factor, such as age. We provide a more granular approach with stratification by demographics, risk factors, and location. We use this approach to compare the impact of different COVID-19 vaccine prioritization strategies on COVID-19 cases, deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) over the first 6 months of vaccine rollout, using California as a case example. We estimate the proportion of cases, deaths and DALYs averted relative to no vaccination for strategies prioritizing vaccination by a single risk factor and by multiple risk factors (e.g. age, location). When targeting by a single risk factor, we find that age-based targeting averts the most deaths (62% for 5 million individuals vaccinated) and DALYs (38%) and targeting essential workers averts the least deaths (31%) and DALYs (24%) over the first 6 months of rollout. However, targeting by two or more risk factors simultaneously averts up to 40% more DALYs. Our findings highlight the potential value of multiple-risk-factor targeting of vaccination against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, but must be balanced with feasibility for policy.

The Health and Economic Benefits of Tests That Predict Future Progression to Tuberculosis Disease.

BACKGROUND: Effective targeting of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment requires identifying those most likely to progress to tuberculosis (TB). We estimated the potential health and economic benefits of diagnostics with improved discrimination for LTBI that will progress to TB. METHODS: A base case scenario represented current LTBI testing and treatment services in the United States in 2020, with diagnosis via. interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA). Alternative scenarios represented tests with higher positive predictive value (PPV) for future TB but similar price to IGRA, and scenarios that additionally assumed higher treatment initiation and completion. We predicted outcomes using multiple transmission-dynamic models calibrated to different geographic areas and estimated costs from a societal perspective. RESULTS: In 2020, 2.1% (range across model results: 1.1%-3.4%) of individuals with LTBI were predicted to develop TB in their remaining lifetime. For IGRA, we estimated the PPV for future TB as 1.3% (0.6%-1.8%). Relative to IGRA, we estimated a test with 10% PPV would reduce treatment volume by 87% (82%-94%), reduce incremental costs by 30% (15%-52%), and increase quality-adjusted life years by 3% (2%-6%). Cost reductions and health improvements were substantially larger for scenarios in which higher PPV for future TB was associated with greater initiation and completion of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We estimated that tests with better predictive performance would substantially reduce the number of individuals treated to prevent TB but would have a modest impact on incremental costs and health impact of TB prevention services, unless accompanied by greater treatment acceptance and completion.

Multicomponent Strategy with Decentralized Molecular Testing for Tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Effective strategies are needed to facilitate the prompt diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in countries with a high burden of the disease. METHODS: We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in which Ugandan community health centers were assigned to a multicomponent diagnostic strategy (on-site molecular testing for tuberculosis, guided restructuring of clinic workflows, and monthly feedback of quality metrics) or routine care (on-site sputum-smear microscopy and referral-based molecular testing). The primary outcome was the number of adults treated for confirmed tuberculosis within 14 days after presenting to the health center for evaluation during the 16-month intervention period. Secondary outcomes included completion of tuberculosis testing, same-day diagnosis, and same-day treatment. Outcomes were also assessed on the basis of proportions. RESULTS: A total of 20 health centers underwent randomization, with 10 assigned to each group. Of 10,644 eligible adults (median age, 40 years) whose data were evaluated, 60.1% were women and 43.8% had human immunodeficiency virus infection. The intervention strategy led to a greater number of patients being treated for confirmed tuberculosis within 14 days after presentation (342 patients across 10 intervention health centers vs. 220 across 10 control health centers; adjusted rate ratio, 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21 to 2.01). More patients at intervention centers than at control centers completed tuberculosis testing (adjusted rate ratio, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.21 to 2.82), received a same-day diagnosis (adjusted rate ratio, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.39 to 2.56), and received same-day treatment for confirmed tuberculosis (adjusted rate ratio, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.57 to 3.61). Among 706 patients with confirmed tuberculosis, a higher proportion in the intervention group than in the control group were treated on the same day (adjusted rate ratio, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.23 to 4.25) or within 14 days after presentation (adjusted rate ratio, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.40). CONCLUSIONS: A multicomponent diagnostic strategy that included on-site molecular testing plus implementation supports to address barriers to delivery of high-quality tuberculosis evaluation services led to greater numbers of patients being tested, receiving a diagnosis, and being treated for confirmed tuberculosis. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; XPEL-TB ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03044158.).

Nonpharmaceutical Interventions Remain Essential to Reducing Coronavirus Disease 2019 Burden Even in a Well-Vaccinated Society: A Modeling Study.

Vaccination and nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) reduce transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, but their effectiveness depends on coverage and adherence levels. We used scenario modeling to evaluate their effects on cases and deaths averted and herd immunity. NPIs and vaccines worked synergistically in different parts of the pandemic to reduce disease burden.

Where will it end? Pathways to care and catastrophic costs following negative TB evaluation in Uganda.

INTRODUCTION: Catastrophic costs incurred by tuberculosis (TB) patients have received considerable attention, however little is known about costs and pathways to care after a negative TB evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 70 patients with a negative TB evaluation at four community health centres in rural and peri-urban Uganda. Patients were traced 9 months post-evaluation using contact information from TB registers. We collected information on healthcare visits and implemented locally-validated costing questionnaires to assess the financial impact of their symptoms post-evaluation. RESULTS: Of 70 participants, 57 (81%) were traced and 53 completed the survey. 31/53 (58%) surveyed participants returned to healthcare facilities post-evaluation, making a median of 2 visits each (interquartile range [IQR] 1-3). 11.3% (95%CI 4.3-23.0%) of surveyed patients and 16.1% (95%CI 5.5-33.7%) of those returning to healthcare facilities incurred catastrophic costs (i.e., spent >20% annual household income). Indirect costs related to lost work represented 80% (IQR 32-100%) of total participant costs. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with TB symptoms who experience financial catastrophe after negative TB evaluation may represent a larger absolute number of patients than those suffering from costs due to TB. They may not be captured by existing definitions of non-TB catastrophic health expenditure.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities In COVID-19 Exposure Risk, Testing, And Cases At The Subcounty Level In California.

With a population of forty million and substantial geographic variation in sociodemographics and health services, California is an important setting in which to study disparities. Its population (37.5 percent White, 39.1 percent Latino, 5.3 percent Black, and 14.4 percent Asian) experienced 59,258 COVID-19 deaths through April 14, 2021-the most of any state. We analyzed California's racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 exposure risks, testing rates, test positivity, and case rates through October 2020, combining data from 15.4 million SARS-CoV-2 tests with subcounty exposure risk estimates from the American Community Survey. We defined "high-exposure-risk" households as those with one or more essential workers and fewer rooms than inhabitants. Latino people in California are 8.1 times more likely to live in high-exposure-risk households than White people (23.6 percent versus 2.9 percent), are overrepresented in cumulative cases (3,784 versus 1,112 per 100,000 people), and are underrepresented in cumulative testing (35,635 versus 48,930 per 100,000 people). These risks and outcomes were worse for Latino people than for members of other racial/ethnic minority groups. Subcounty disparity analyses can inform targeting of interventions and resources, including community-based testing and vaccine access measures. Tracking COVID-19 disparities and developing equity-focused public health programming that mitigates the effects of systemic racism can help improve health outcomes among California's populations of color.

State-level prevalence estimates of latent tuberculosis infection in the United States by medical risk factors, demographic characteristics and nativity.

INTRODUCTION: Preventing tuberculosis (TB) disease requires treatment of latent TB infection (LTBI) as well as prevention of person-to-person transmission. We estimated the LTBI prevalence for the entire United States and for each state by medical risk factors, age, and race/ethnicity, both in the total population and stratified by nativity. METHODS: We created a mathematical model using all incident TB disease cases during 2013-2017 reported to the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System that were classified using genotype-based methods or imputation as not attributed to recent TB transmission. Using the annual average number of TB cases among US-born and non-US-born persons by medical risk factor, age group, and race/ethnicity, we applied population-specific reactivation rates (and corresponding 95% confidence intervals [CI]) to back-calculate the estimated prevalence of untreated LTBI in each population for the United States and for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2015. RESULTS: We estimated that 2.7% (CI: 2.6%-2.8%) of the U.S. population, or 8.6 (CI: 8.3-8.8) million people, were living with LTBI in 2015. Estimated LTBI prevalence among US-born persons was 1.0% (CI: 1.0%-1.1%) and among non-US-born persons was 13.9% (CI: 13.5%-14.3%). Among US-born persons, the highest LTBI prevalence was in persons aged ≥65 years (2.1%) and in persons of non-Hispanic Black race/ethnicity (3.1%). Among non-US-born persons, the highest LTBI prevalence was estimated in persons aged 45-64 years (16.3%) and persons of Asian and other racial/ethnic groups (19.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Our estimations of the prevalence of LTBI by medical risk factors and demographic characteristics for each state could facilitate planning for testing and treatment interventions to eliminate TB in the United States. Our back-calculation method feasibly estimates untreated LTBI prevalence and can be updated using future TB disease case counts at the state or national level.

Patient Perspectives and Willingness to Accept Incentives for Tuberculosis Diagnostic Evaluation in Uganda.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed attitudes and perceptions and willingness to accept (WTA) varying incentive structures for completing tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic evaluation among patients in Uganda. METHODS: We surveyed 177 adult patients undergoing TB evaluation at 10 health centers between September 2018 and March 2019. We collected household sociodemographic information and assessed attitudes and perceptions of incentives. We surveyed patients regarding their willingness to complete TB diagnostic evaluation in exchange for incentives ranging in value from 500 Ugandan shillings (USh) to 25 000USh (~$0.15-$6.75). We compared associations between WTA and patient characteristics using ordered logistic regression. RESULTS: Participant willingness to return to the health center to complete TB diagnostic evaluation increased proportionally with incentive amount. The median participant accepted between 2000 and 5000 USh. Cash (52%) and transportation vouchers (34%) were the most popular incentive types. Half of respondents preferred unconditional incentives; for a multiday evaluation, 84% preferred conditioning incentive receipt upon returning to the health center. In multivariate models, we found the pairwise difference between the third and lowest income quartile (aOR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.20-4.69; P = .01), younger age, and difficulty returning to the health center to be significantly associated with WTA higher incentive thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: In Uganda, incentives such as cash transfers or transportation vouchers are an acceptable intervention for facilitating adherence to TB diagnostic evaluation. Household income is associated with preferred incentive structure and amount, especially for those at the cusp of the poverty threshold who are more likely to prefer unconditional and higher valued incentives. Targeted and context-specific socioeconomic supports for at-risk patients are needed to optimize outcomes.

Use of Chest Imaging in the Diagnosis and Management of COVID-19: A WHO Rapid Advice Guide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) undertook the development of a rapid guide on the use of chest imaging in the diagnosis and management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The rapid guide was developed over 2 months by using standard WHO processes, except for the use of "rapid reviews" and online meetings of the panel. The evidence review was supplemented by a survey of stakeholders regarding their views on the acceptability, feasibility, impact on equity, and resource use of the relevant chest imaging modalities (chest radiography, chest CT, and lung US). The guideline development group had broad expertise and country representation. The rapid guide includes three diagnosis recommendations and four management recommendations. The recommendations cover patients with confirmed or who are suspected of having COVID-19 with different levels of disease severity, throughout the care pathway from outpatient facility or hospital entry to home discharge. All recommendations are conditional and are based on low certainty evidence (n = 2), very low certainty evidence (n = 2), or expert opinion (n = 3). The remarks accompanying the recommendations suggest which patients are likely to benefit from chest imaging and what factors should be considered when choosing the specific imaging modality. The guidance offers considerations about implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, and also identifies research needs. Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Costs incurred by patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis in semi-urban and rural settings of Western India.

BACKGROUND: India reports the highest number of tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide. Poverty has a dual impact as it increases the risk of TB and exposes the poor to economic hardship when they develop TB. Our objective was to estimate the costs incurred by patients with drug-susceptible TB in Bhavnagar (western India) using an adapted World Health Organization costing tool. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of adults, notified in the public sector and being treated for drug-susceptible pulmonary TB during January-June 2019, in six urban and three rural blocks of Bhavnagar region, Gujarat state, India. The direct and indirect TB-related costs, as well as patients' coping strategies, were assessed for the overall care of TB till treatment completion. Catastrophic costs were defined as total costs > 20% of annual household income (excluding any amount received from cash transfer programs or borrowed). Median and interquartile range (IQR) was used to summarize patient costs. The median costs between any two groups were compared using the median test. The association between any two categorical variables was tested by the Pearson chi-squared test. All costs were described in US dollars (USD). During the study period, on average, one USD equalled 70 Indian Rupees. RESULTS: Of 458 patients included, 70% were male, 62% had no formal education, 71% lived in urban areas, and 96% completed TB treatment. The median (IQR) total costs were USD 8 (5-28), direct medical costs were USD 0 (0-0), direct non-medical costs were USD 3 (2-4) and indirect costs were USD 6 (3-13). Among direct non-medical costs, travel cost (median = USD 3, IQR: 2-4) to attend health facilities were the most prominent, whereas the indirect costs were mainly contributed by the patient's loss of wages (median = USD 3, IQR: 0-6). Four percent of patients faced catastrophic costs, 11% borrowed money to cover costs and 7% lost their employment; the median working days lost to TB was 30 (IQR: 15-45). A majority (88%) of patients received a median USD 43 (IQR: 41-43) as part of a cash transfer program for TB patients. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment completion was high and the costs incurred by TB patients were low in this setting. However, negative financial consequences occur even in low-cost settings. The role of universal cash transfer programs in such settings requires further study.