Background Directly observed therapy short course
(DOTS) is a strategy in which a trained healthcare
worker or a designated individual provides the prescribed
antituberculous drugs and watches the patient to ensure the
patient is taking each dose.
Aim The objective of this work was to study tuberculosis
situation in Cairo governorate from 2006 to 2012 after
application of DOTS.
Methodology This was a retrospective clinical cohort study
carried out at the Cairo governorate.
Results Percentages of cure and complete
treatment were 61.6 and 20.4%, respectively. The
incidence of failure, death, default, and transfer
out decreased after DOTS (2.2, 4.5, 8.6, and
2.7, respectively).
Conclusion The introduction of DOTS in the Cairo
governorate has led to a treatment success rate of 82%
(nearly similar to the WHO target of ‘85%’).