Peer-reviewed article
Strengthening comprehensive tuberculosis care in Angola: a scoping review of strategies, challenges, and potentialities in a high-burden setting.
Valter Chicalo António Caripa, Rubia Laine de Paula Andrade-Gonçalves, Rafaele Oliveira Bonfim, Mariana Gaspar Botelho Funari de Faria, Yan Mathias Alves et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This scoping review examines tuberculosis control strategies and challenges in Angola by analyzing 13 studies involving over 24,000 participants. The review found that BCG vaccination coverage among children under 5 reached approximately 90%, but identified significant barriers including supply shortages and underreporting of cases. The authors recommend updating guidelines, improving professional training, and expanding diagnostic and treatment services to strengthen tuberculosis control.
Key points
- BCG vaccination achieved approximately 90% coverage among children under 5 years old
- Supply shortages were reported in 100% of studies as a major challenge
- Diagnostic approaches include clinical evaluation, chest radiography, and laboratory tests (AFB smear microscopy/GeneXpert)
- Underreporting of tuberculosis cases was identified as a significant problem
- Priority measures recommended include updating guidelines, strengthening professional training, and expanding diagnostic and treatment services
Limitations
This is a scoping review that synthesizes existing literature rather than conducting original research or evaluating a specific intervention; it cannot provide evidence about the effectiveness of particular tuberculosis control strategies. The review focuses on tuberculosis in the general population and does not isolate findings specific to child health outcomes.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To identify surveillance and care actions implemented for tuberculosis control in the country, as well as to analyze factors that hinder or facilitate their implementation. METHODS: This scoping review followed the methodology recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual for Scoping Reviews and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF). The review question was formulated based on the PCC acronym, and searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, LILACS, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. RESULTS: Of the 564 records identified, 13 studies were included, encompassing 24,652 participants, including adults and children. Regarding prevention, BCG vaccination achieved approximately 90% coverage among children under 5 years of age. Diagnostic approaches included clinical evaluation, chest radiography, and laboratory tests (AFB smear microscopy/GeneXpert), while major challenges included shortages of supplies (reported in 100% of the studies) and underreporting. CONCLUSION: Updating guidelines, strengthening professional training, and expanding diagnostic and treatment services are priority measures to consolidate tuberculosis control in the country.