Munir Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Iqbal Memon, Imran Sarwar Shaikh, Bikha Ram Devrajani, Salma Shaikh, Sikander Munir Memon, Syed Arshad Ali Shah.
Prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis among household contacts in Hyderabad, Sindh: Active contact tracing in children with tuberculosis.
Pak J Med Res Jan ;56(1):26-9.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) in children is clearly linked to TB in adults therefore active household contact tracing is an important method of early diagnosis and treatment particularly in high-TB-burden countries. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of TB among household contacts of children suffering from tuberculosis using active contact tracing and linking them to TB program for treatment. Subjects and Methods: A total of 125 children suffering from active tuberculosis (index cases)aged 12 years or less were randomly selected from the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital of Hyderabad. Using their home address, all house hold members of the index cases (sharing one kitchen) were identified. The households were visited by a team including a doctor and the supported staff and were screened for TB using history, physical examination, sputum for AFB and X-ray of chest. Clinical suspects were divided in to two populations, equal to or less than 12 years of age and greater than this age. All suspected cases were brought to outpatient’s department of the hospital where children were examined and diagnosed by pediatrician and adults were examined by the pulmonologist. Results: There were 125 children and 1365 household members. Prevalence of active TB in adult household contacts was 8.1% and among children was 5.7%. Mother, father, grand parents or siblings were the source of disease spread in children. Family history of TB was present in 95% (pulmonary 78%, extra-pulmonary 22%). Conclusion: Tuberculosis in children is mostly spreading from household member hence deeply required to undertake active contact tracing in each new case that is diagnosed or being treated. Policy message: National and Provincial TB programs should advocate and undertake active screening of all household contacts of all TB cases. Key words: Childhood tuberculosis, active contact tracing, prevalence of TB.

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