Annual risk of tuberculous infection in four defined zones of India: a comparative picture.
METHODS
Twenty-six selected districts in India.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate the average annual risk of tuberculous infection (ARTI) in four defined zones in the country.


METHODS
A tuberculin survey was conducted in selected clusters of 26 districts in four defined zones of India. Children 1-9 years of age were subjected to tuberculin testing with ITU PPD RT23 with Tween 80, and the maximum transverse diameter of induration was measured 72 h later. Prevalence of infection was estimated using the cut-off point method (Method I) and the mirror-image technique (Method II) among children without bacille Calmette-Guérin scar. Results from individual zones have been reported earlier, and the results from all four zones are presented here as a consolidated summary.


RESULTS
The ARTI computed from estimated prevalence was found to be lowest in the southern zone (Method I: 1.1%, Method II: 1.0%). It was higher in the eastern zone (1.3% by both methods) and highest in the western (Method I: 1.8%, Method II: 1.6%) and northern zones (1.9% by both methods). The proportion of infected children was found to be significantly higher in urban than in rural areas in all zones.


CONCLUSIONS
The intensified tuberculosis control efforts need to be sustained for many years.
Chadha
V K
VK
National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. vin_chadha@rediffmail.com
Agarwal
S P
SP
Kumar
P
P
Chauhan
L S
LS
Kollapan
C
C
Jaganath
P S
PS
Vaidyanathan
P S
PS
Gopi
P G
PG
Unnikrishnan
K P
KP
Savanur
S J
SJ
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data