Figures & data
Figure 1. Examples of peripheral TB microscopy centers in India (B & C), Uganda (A) and Kenya (D).
Figure 2. Characteristics of peripheral microscopy centers in 22 high tuberculosis burden countries. Questions related to environmental conditions (is temperature or humidity not a concern?); infrastructure (is stable power supply, clean water supply present?); presence of equipment (are N95 respirator, micropipettes, refrigerator, incubator, centrifuge, hot water bath or biosafety hood present?) and skills (Are staff able to operate a micropipette or computer or perform a PCR test?); and the presence of means of communication (is landline, mobile network or internet present?). Additional questions asked about whether QA measures were established and which smear methods were currently used. Countries are sorted by increasing purchasing power parity. BRICS countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
