TABLE 5.
Barriers to implementation of IGRAs for LTBI screening in HBC NTPs according to survey respondents
| Country | Barriers to IGRA implementation | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High cost | No budget allocated | Not clear if IGRAs better than PPD | IGRA kits not domestically available | Lack of laboratory infrastructure | Limited availability of laboratory personnel | Insufficient capacity for specimen transport | Other | ||
| Currently using IGRAs | Cambodia | ||||||||
| China | |||||||||
| Nigeria | |||||||||
| Tanzania | |||||||||
| Thailand | |||||||||
| Russia | |||||||||
|
Currently not using IGRAs |
Brazil | Awaiting approval for use of IGRAs (by National Committee for New Technologies Incorporation) | |||||||
| Angola | |||||||||
| Bangladesh | |||||||||
| DRC | |||||||||
| Ethiopia | NTP policy does not recommend use of IGRAs | ||||||||
| India | Lack of country‐specific evidence for IGRA cut‐offs | ||||||||
| Indonesia | Lack of policy on IGRA use | ||||||||
| Kenya | Policy on IGRA use still in development | ||||||||
| Lesotho | |||||||||
| Liberia | |||||||||
| Mozambique | |||||||||
| Myanmar | |||||||||
| Pakistan | NTP policy does not recommend use of IGRAs | ||||||||
| Philippines | Requirement for blood draw | ||||||||
| South Africa | |||||||||
| Vietnam | Complexity of technique and lack of feasibility to apply at peripheral levels | ||||||||
| Zambia | LTBI previously not prioritized | ||||||||
| Zimbabwe | |||||||||
Barrier experienced in NTP.
Unsure if barrier is experienced in NTP.
Abbreviations: HBCs, high‐burden countries; IGRAs, interferon‐gamma release assays; LTBI, latent TB infection; NTP, national TB program; PPD, purified protein derivative.