Epidemiological surveillance in the context of the tuberculosis control program: limits and possibilities

Resumen

This is a descriptive study that aimed to identify the weaknesses and strengths of the Tuberculosis Control Program in a town in Northern Ceará, Brazil. The data were collected from January to March 2010, by searching on the website of the Information System for Notifiable Diseases. The results underline the major obstacles in fighting the disease in the region: low case detection, low coverage of the community health worker program and family health strategy, the absence of local referral service for treatment of severe disease and low HIV testing. With regard to the potential, there are: decentralization of tuberculosis actions in 100% of basic health units and increased cure rates. We conclude that the identification of these indicators is an important tool in the health system management.