Assessment of Tuberculosis Case Detection and Treatment Outcomes in Directly Observed Therapy Centres in Bauchi State

Directly observed therapy, short-course (DOTS) is the internationally endorsed strategy for tuberculosis management, yet case detection and treatment outcome benchmarks remain below targets across many Nigerian states. This retrospective cohort study assessed TB case detection rates and treatment outcomes across 12 DOTS centres in Bauchi State, in the North East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, using National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Program (NTBLCP) registers from 2020 to 2023. A total of 2,400 TB cases were included in the analysis. Treatment success rate, death rate, loss to follow-up, and treatment failure rates were calculated as primary outcome indicators. The overall treatment success rate was 74.2 percent, below the WHO target of 90 percent. Loss to follow-up accounted for 12.8 percent of cases and was the primary reason for treatment failure. Patients who lived more than 10 kilometers from their DOTS centre had a significantly higher probability of defaulting. Rifampicin resistance was detected in 4.1 percent of cases tested by GeneXpert. The study recommends expansion of community-based DOTS delivery, patient transportation support, social protection packages for TB patients, and intensified community TB case-finding campaigns across Bauchi State to achieve national treatment outcome targets. Keywords: tuberculosis, DOTS, treatment outcomes, Bauchi, case detection.