Chest X-Ray as a critical screening tool for Household Contacts of TB: Lessons from Three Years of Programmatic Data in India

The study analyzed data from Project JEET 2.0 in India between October 2021 and March 2024, focusing on screening household contacts (HHC) of tuberculosis patients. Among 1,034,621 household contacts, 1.02% tested positive for TB, with 2,812 cases identified during pre-screening evaluation. Of eligible household contacts, 70% were screened with chest X-ray, of which 2.4% showed TB-suggestive findings. Among all detected TB cases, two-thirds were asymptomatic, although symptomatic contacts were screened more frequently (84% versus 69%). The study estimates that universal chest X-ray screening could increase TB detection by at least 87%. The results indicate that chest X-ray is an important tool for early TB detection, particularly among asymptomatic contacts.