Short Read
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health challenge In Kyrgyzstan. Of an estimated 7,900 people contracting TB in 2023, 40% were not diagnosed and notified. This substantial gap in case detection has hampered the progress of the national TB program trying to eradicate the disease. Exacerbated by the challenging terrain of Kyrgyzstan, the country is far behind the goals of the End TB Strategy.
In response, the National TB Program of Kyrgyzstan, with assistance from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and support from the Global Fund, deployed 9 InferAir ultra-portable X-ray systems, equipped with AI-powered TB detection capabilities from Infervision. Implemented in high-risk rural areas where people face barriers in accessing care, Infervision’s machines were put to work to accelerate TB detection.
Following this successful pilot, Kyrgyzstan plans to scale-up Infervision's equipment, purchasing additional systems to further ramp up TB detection in order to meet the targets of the End TB Strategy to eradicate TB in the country by 2035.
The Problem
Kyrgyzstan faces a significant challenge in its fight against TB, with thousands of people who contract the disease not diagnosed every year and one of the highest rates of drug-resistant TB globally. It is vital that early case detection be improved to facilitate access to effective care and ultimately improve health outcomes for people with TB, especially drug resistant cases. However, TB detection significantly slowed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and Kyrgyzstan faces enduring challenges to accelerating case detection above and beyond pre-pandemic levels, particularly a lack of modern testing equipment, remote and mountainous regions, and a shortage of specialized healthcare professionals, particularly in rural areas. Altogether, these challenges hinder the National TB Program(NTP)’s progress to meeting international targets to eradicate TB by 2030.
Solution
Kadyrov Abdulat Samatovich, the head of Kyrgyzstan's National TB Program, has enlisted the help of local and international healthcare partners to help restore Kyrgyzstan’s progress toward the End TB strategy. In 2024, the NTP, together with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), introduced Infervision’s cutting-edge InferAir ultra-portable X-ray systems with integrated AI, InferRead DR Chest, for advanced disease detection. The Kyrgyz government deployed 9 machines to priority areas, including the TB Hospital in Bishkek and hospitals in Jalal-Abad, Osh and Batken.
The pilot programme proved highly effective, screening over 10,125 people with Infervision’s innovative equipment in less than one year, resulting in the detection of 51 people with TB who were connected to treatment.The streamlined and lightweight systems are ideal for travel to Kyrgyzstan’s remote communities; meanwhile, utilizing Infervision’s highly accurate and rapid AI, InferRead, reduces the need for specialized radiologists to interpret the chest X-rays for signs of TB. This is a key benefit due to the low numbers of specialized readers available, especially in remote communities which are often the frontlines of TB detection.
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What's Next
Following the success of the initial pilot, the National TB Programme plans to further expand X-ray and CAD screening through the procurement of additional units of Infervision's cutting edge screening equipment, with onsite deployment and staff training ongoing throughout 2024 and 2025.
