Comparative cost analysis of community-based tuberculosis screening: Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) alone versus CAD with point-of-care C-reactive protein testing in South Africa and Lesotho
Harsh Vivek Harkare, Anna Verjans, Phillip Joseph, Mashaete Kamele, Shriya Misra, Mamatlakeng Keitseng, Mojabeng Mabeleng, Thandanani Madonsela, Alastair van Heerden, Johanna Kurscheid, Bart KM Jacobs, Aita Signorell · 2026
Read Comparative cost analysis of community-based tuberculosis screening: Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) alone versus CAD with point-of-care C-reactive protein testing in South Africa and Lesotho by Harsh Vivek Harkare, Anna Verjans, Phillip Joseph, Mashaete Kamele, Shriya Misra, Mamatlakeng Keitseng, Mojabeng Mabeleng, Thandanani Madonsela, Alastair van Heerden, Johanna Kurscheid, Bart KM Jacobs, Aita Signorell (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13592630.txt.
Description
Harsh Vivek Harkare leads a team costing two community tuberculosis screening routes in South Africa and Lesotho. One route read chest X-rays with computer aided detection alone. The other added a quick blood inflammation test for people whose X-ray scores fell in a middle band. Inside a large trial, 20,023 people were screened and every cost ingredient was counted from the program's view.
The X-ray only route found 72 cases at about 5,454 dollars each. Adding the blood test found fewer cases, 60, and cost about 7,486 dollars each, over a third more. Staff pay drove costs in South Africa, vehicles in Lesotho. Higher underlying prevalence would cut cost per case sharply, Harkare and the team conclude, while bigger screening volume at current rates would not.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Harsh Vivek Harkare, Anna Verjans, Phillip Joseph, Mashaete Kamele, Shriya Misra, Mamatlakeng Keitseng, Mojabeng Mabeleng, Thandanani Madonsela, Alastair van Heerden, Johanna Kurscheid, Bart KM Jacobs, Aita Signorell |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 26 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |