title: [Preliminary study on tuberculin sensitivity in north Lebanon].
abstract: Tuberculosis remains a severe public health problem, and is a major cause of infant disease in North Lebanon. We investigated tuberculin sensitivity in 1,405 school children (2 to 15 years old) not previously vaccinated with BCG in a deprived suburb of Tripoli (Lebanon). The Intra-Dermal Reaction (IDR) technique was used with 10 units of tuberculin (Pasteur-Mérieux, France). The prevalence was 4.3%. The score was higher in the lowest socio-economic group (5.7%) than in the middle socio-economic group (2.4%). No members of the upper socio-demographic group live in this area. There were no significant differences between the sexes. The diameter of induration was over 10 mm in 83.6% of cases (95.6% in the lower class and 46.6% in the middle class). The prevalence was higher among children over 10 years old. Chest X-rays were obtained for children with a positive reaction, and all were normal. Similarly, their sputum was tested for Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) by a double staining technique (Ziehl-Nielsen and auramine), and all scored negative.
authors.affiliation: Université libanaise, Faculté de Santé publique, Section III, Tripoli, Liban.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamze
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lagha
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: al-Atem
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iwaza
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vachée
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011203:Poverty; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014373:Tuberculin; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014373:Tuberculin
vernacular_title: Etude préliminaire de la sensibilité tuberculinique au Liban Nord.