Drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment outcomes among Saharia: a marginalized community of Madhya Pradesh, India

BACKGROUND: Few attempts have been made to explore the drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) outcomes and associated factors among underprivileged communities. This study aimed to determine DR-TB treatment outcomes and associated factors in the Saharia tribal group (TGs), a community with a high TB burden in Madhya Pradesh, India. METHODS: TB cases were detected through active case finding and were treated under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme. All the patients who were initiated on DR-TB treatment and had outcomes at the end of treatment were included in the study. The DR-TB treatment outcomes and associated factors were recorded. FINDINGS: Of 323 patients included in the analysis, 216 patients (66.8%) had successful treatment outcomes, including 70 (21.7%) who were cured and another 146 (45.2%) who completed treatment. Among the rest, 36 (11.1%) died, 66 (20.4%) were lost to follow-up and 5 (1.5%) had treatment failure. A total of 83% of patients were rifampicin resistant (RR)/multidrug resistant (MDR). CONCLUSIONS: Although the program's recommended target of >75% could not be achieved, the treatment success rate in the study is still admirable in a hard-to-reach high-TB-risk tribal area. The findings show that with community-based approaches, favourable treatment outcomes can be achieved in DR-TB patients from resource-poor settings.