Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Nov;13(4):477-85.
doi: 10.12816/0003305. Epub 2013 Nov 8.

Management of Infants and Children who are Contacts of Contagious Tuberculous Patients

George Paul  1 , Amal S Al-Maani, Padmamohan J Kurup
Affiliations

Management of Infants and Children who are Contacts of Contagious Tuberculous Patients

George Paul et al. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

Contact investigation and management form the key for tuberculosis (TB) control in countries with a low tuberculosis incidence. Oman, with a low TB incidence, has implemented contact investigation and management as one important strategy to control TB. However there is a lack of clear guidelines for the investigation and treatment of contacts, especially with regard to children who are contacts of TB cases. The failure to manage children in contact with infectious TB cases indicates a missed opportunity to prevent TB disease in a population which is prone to progress rapidly to severe and complicated illness. This article attempts to provide a concise and practical approach for managing infants and children who are in contact with TB patients. Essential steps in a variety of possible scenarios are briefly discussed.

Keywords: Children; Latent Tuberculosis Infection; Oman; Tuberculin Tests; Tuberculoses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Annual tuberculosis incidence among the Omani population (per 100,000). TB = tuberculosis. Adapted from: Annual Statistical Reports, Ministry of Health, Muscat, Oman.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Flowchart showing the proposed management of children of less than 5 years of age with exposure to a contagious case of tuberculosis. TB = tuberculosis; TST = tuberculin skin test; CXR = chest X-ray; INH = isoniazid; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Flowchart showing the proposed management of children over 5 years of age with exposure to a contagious case of tuberculosis. TB = tuberculosis; TST = tuberculin skin test; CXR = chest X-ray; INH = isoniazid; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Morrison J, Pai M, Hopewell PC. Tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection in close contacts of people with pulmonary tuberculosis in low-income and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2008;8:359–68. - PubMed
    1. Ministry of Health . STOP TB—Manual of TB Control Programme. 4th ed. Muscat: National Tuberculosis Control Program, Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance & Control, Directorate General of Health Affairs, Oman; Childhood Tuberculosis; pp. 24–32.
    1. Ministry of Health . Annual Health Report. Muscat: Directorate General of Planning, Ministry of Health; 2010. pp. 8–42.
    1. Lobato MN, Mohle-Boetani JC, Royce SE. Missed opportunities for preventing tuberculosis among children younger than five years of age. Pediatrics. 2000;106:E75. - PubMed
    1. National Tuberculosis Controllers Association; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines for the investigation of contacts of persons with infectious tuberculosis. Recommendations from the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association and CDC. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2005;54:1–47. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources