A district has reported 500 new smear-positive TB cases in year 1 and 450 in year 2 from a population of 500,000. Which indicator directly measures the programme performance regarding detection of existing TB cases?
- A Incidence rate (new cases per 100,000 per year)
- B Notification rate
- C Case Detection Rate (CDR) — proportion of estimated incident cases that are notified ✓
- D Treatment success rate
Correct answer: C. Case Detection Rate (CDR) — proportion of estimated incident cases that are notified
Explanation
Case Detection Rate (CDR) = (notified incident TB cases / estimated incident TB cases) × 100, and measures how effectively the health system finds and diagnoses existing TB cases in the community. Notification rate is the raw number per population and reflects both incidence trends and programme detection but does not directly compare against estimated burden. Treatment success rate is an output indicator after detection. CDR < 70% (WHO threshold) signals under-detection.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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