What do we know about how to treat tuberculosis?

Abstract

In the year 2000 it was estimated that 884 019 (11%) of the 8.3 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases diagnosed globally were children less than 15 years of age [1]. However, this figure almost certainly represent a gross underestimation of the current situation. The most recent World Health Organization (WHO) report estimated that 9.4 million new TB cases occurred during 2008, without specifying the number of children affected [2]. Poor case ascertainment and limited surveillance data hamper efforts to accurately quantify the global disease burden caused by childhood TB [3]. In a community-based survey performed in Cape Town, South Africa, children less than 13 years of age contributed 13.7% of the total disease burden. The calculated TB incidence was 407/100 000/year; nearly 50% of the total adult TB incidence of 840/100 000/year during the same time period [4]. It is estimated that in areas where the TB epidemic is poorly controlled, children less than 15 years of age are likely to contribute 15-20% of the TB disease burden, with TB incidence rates roughly half of that reported for adults from the same community. In settings where transmission is limited and preventive therapy provided, the comparative burden of childhood TB would be greatly reduced. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.