TB and poverty: the effect of rifampicin-resistant TB on household income

Setting The Republic of Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, also bears one of the highest burdens of rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB). Objectives To trace the patients' journey through TB in terms of the relationship with poverty and assess its determinants. Design This cross-sectional study used secondary data from a survey assessing catastrophic costs in RR-TB-affected households. Results Data were obtained from 430 RR-TB patients. The percentage of poor TB-affected households rose from 65% prior to TB to 86% after TB treatment completion ( P Conclusion The study identified risk factors associated with poverty at each stage of TB. These findings outline that innovative social protection policies are required to protect TB patients against poverty.