Tuberculosis Surveillance & Vital Registration Standards

Establish legal and institutional responsibilities for TB surveillance and death registration

Document roles, reporting lines, and authority across agencies.

Define and publish clear TB case and death definitions

Use consistent clinical, lab, and mortality criteria for reporting.

Standardize and update reporting forms and electronic data fields

Include essential fields and compatible formats for sharing.

Collect complete demographic and risk-factor information for each case

Include age, sex, residence, HIV status, and key risk factors.

Implement or upgrade an electronic TB registry system

Ensure a secure, searchable database with export features.

Assign and apply unique identifiers to link patient and death records

Use national ID or system-generated codes for consistent matching.

Link TB surveillance data with national vital registration records

Match records to identify TB deaths and gaps in reporting.

Perform regular data quality checks and validation routines

Check for duplicates, missing fields, and inconsistent dates.

Reconcile case notifications with treatment and laboratory registers monthly

Match notifications to treatment starts and lab confirmations.

Estimate completeness of death registration and TB mortality records

Use capture–recapture or other methods to assess missing deaths.

Protect patient privacy and follow national data-sharing policies

Limit access, anonymize exports, and secure approvals where needed.

Train surveillance and registration staff on procedures and tools

Include clinic, laboratory, and registry personnel in training.

Schedule regular training sessions and refreshers

Plan dates, trainers, topics, and virtual options.

Record attendance and assess staff competency after training

Keep certificates and short skills checklists for each trainee.

Produce and publish regular surveillance reports and summaries

Share trends, data quality issues, and recommended actions quarterly.