The outcome of screening the household contacts of 49 newly diagnosed tuberculous children as currently practised in the Paediatric Unit of the Port Moresby General Hospital is described. The screening program generated 182 chest X-rays and 67 Mantoux tests. 32 (39%) of 83 child contacts and 11 (11%) of 99 adults were commenced on antituberculous therapy, and 2 children aged 6 months were started on INAH chemoprophylaxis. Adult contacts were identified in 11 (22%) of the 49 families screened. Such a program is an extremely important part of the case management of children with newly diagnosed tuberculosis and their families. PIP: This article describes the outcome of screening the households of 49 children diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in the TB section at Port Moresby General Hospital, Nigeria. Household contact screening in a group of 49 children with TB generated a total of 182 chest X-rays and 67 Mantoux tests. 32 children of the 83 screened were given full antituberculosis treatment, and 2 children aged 6 months were given INAH prophylaxis. Furthermore, 11 new adult contacts were diagnosed as new cases of TB. Of the 49 index patients, 30 children had pulmonary TB and 9 had central nervous system, 2 had bone, 2 had miliary, 1 had lymphatic, and 1 had pericardial involvement; 4 children had involvement of more than one site. Thus, the screening program is an extremely important component of the case management of children diagnosed with TB and their families.
Case Management ; Child ; Contact Tracing ; Human ; Mass Screening ; Tuberculosis - diagnosis ; Tuberculosis - epidemiology