Sheshi M, Odume B, Chukwuogo O, Ogbudebe C, Gordon I, Useni S, Nwokoye N, Bajehson M, Nongo D, Eneogu R, Ihesie A, Omo-Emmanuel U, Wadok S, Furth R, Anyaike C
KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation Nigeria, Abuja; Nigeria.
United States Agency for International Development, Abuja, Nigeria.
Public Health Action. 2025 Sep 3;15(3):108-112. doi: 10.5588/pha.24.0054. eCollection 2025 Sep.
TB continues to pose significant public health challenges in high-burden regions such as Kano State, Nigeria, where private health sector engagement in TB control is notably lacking. The Social Franchising for TB Contact Investigation (SOFT) model was introduced to leverage private healthcare to increase the reach and efficacy of TB control efforts.
This nine-month project supported mapping health facilities, training of community health workers and systematic TB contact screening. The SOFT model aimed to enhance TB control by integrating private healthcare facilities and community-based organisations to improve TB yield, contact investigation and uptake of TB Preventive Therapy (TPT).
The project showed a consistent increase in TB case detection, with a significant rise in index TB cases identified and their contacts screened each quarter. There was also a marked increase in the number of household contacts screened and initiated on TPT, demonstrating the model's effectiveness in enhancing TB control efforts.
The integration of social franchising with community and private healthcare engagement presents a scalable and innovative approach to improving TB control in high-burden settings. This model contributes significantly to global TB elimination efforts by improving detection rates and TPT uptake.
在尼日利亚卡诺州等结核病高负担地区，结核病仍然构成重大的公共卫生挑战，当地私营卫生部门在结核病控制方面的参与明显不足。引入了结核病接触者调查社会特许经营（SOFT）模式，以利用私营医疗保健机构来扩大结核病控制工作的覆盖范围并提高其成效。
这个为期九个月的项目支持了对卫生设施的摸底、社区卫生工作者的培训以及系统性的结核病接触者筛查。SOFT模式旨在通过整合私营医疗保健机构和社区组织来加强结核病控制，以提高结核病发现率、接触者调查以及结核病预防性治疗（TPT）的接受率。
该项目显示结核病病例发现量持续增加，每季度确诊的索引结核病病例及其接触者筛查数量显著上升。接受筛查并开始接受TPT的家庭接触者数量也显著增加，证明了该模式在加强结核病控制工作方面的有效性。
将社会特许经营与社区及私营医疗保健机构参与相结合，为在高负担地区改善结核病控制提供了一种可扩展且创新的方法。该模式通过提高发现率和TPT接受率，为全球结核病消除努力做出了重大贡献。
