Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42639595›Full record

ArticlePublic health action2026

Cough syrup buyers get referred but not tested: private pharmacy-based tuberculosis surveillance pilot in Jaipur, India.

K Gupta, A Phatak, P Manickam, V N Baig, H Abdullah, Y Singh, S Jain, S Nag, Y Saxena, A K Bhardwaj and 4 more

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Article in Public health action, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

K GuptaDepartment of Community Medicine, Geetanjali Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
A PhatakState Drug Control Department, Swasthya Bhawan, Directorate of Medical & Health Services, Rajasthan, India.
P ManickamDivision of Health Systems Research, ICMR National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE), Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
V N BaigDepartment of Community Medicine, Rajasthan University of Health Sciences College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
H AbdullahKhushi Baby, Jaipur, India.
Y SinghDepartment of Community Medicine, Geetanjali Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
S JainDepartment of Community Medicine, Geetanjali Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
S NagKhushi Baby, Jaipur, India.
Y SaxenaDepartment of Community Medicine, Rajasthan University of Health Sciences College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
A K BhardwajNational TB Task Force, New Delhi, India.
K RoopchandaniState Drug Control Department, Swasthya Bhawan, Directorate of Medical & Health Services, Rajasthan, India.
D K TanejaState Drug Control Department, Swasthya Bhawan, Directorate of Medical & Health Services, Rajasthan, India.
J MeenaState Drug Control Department, Swasthya Bhawan, Directorate of Medical & Health Services, Rajasthan, India.
H D ShewadeDivision of Health Systems Research, ICMR National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE), Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

settingIn the private sector of Rajasthan (north Indian state), missed tuberculosis (TB) notifications were seven times the reported notifications. The higher the private cough syrup sales in districts, the higher the missed TB notification.

objectiveWe assessed the operational feasibility of engaging private pharmacies to refer cough syrup buyers for TB testing by the routine health system in Jaipur II district, Rajasthan.

methodsThis was a longitudinal descriptive study using aggregate secondary data. In collaboration with the state TB and drug control authorities, private pharmacy-based TB surveillance (PPTS) was piloted from November 2025 to January 2026. Random cross-verification of the care cascade data was done by designated district officials by telephonically contacting cough syrup buyers.

resultsOf 2,413 cough syrup buyers shared by pharmacies, 759 (31%) were reported as tracked and 334 (44%) of them underwent sputum examinations, yielding three (1%) PPTS-detected TB. After cross-verification, we estimated that against ≈2200 (90% of 2,413) private cough syrup buyers, there were an estimated ≈110 (30% of 334) PPTS sputum examinations and three PPTS-detected TB (3%).

conclusionPrivate pharmacies have the potential to share cough syrup buyers' details that can contribute to significant TB notifications. Tracking cough syrup buyers needs urgent attention.

Indexed as

anti-tussivechemistMPHISORsputum testingTB case findingtuberculosis

Identifiers

PMID42639595
PMCPMC13502715

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