Trend in the prevalence of TB infection and ARTI after implementation of a DOTS programme in south India.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection among children <10 years and assess the impact of a DOTS-based programme.


METHODS
After DOTS implementation in Tiruvallur district, south India, we undertook three tuberculin surveys and estimated the ARTI among children aged <10 years.


RESULTS
The ARTI estimates in the three tuberculin surveys were 1.6%, 1.4% and 1.2%, respectively. There was a significant decline in the trend of TB infection (P < 0.001). The annual decline estimated from the first to the third survey was 6%.


CONCLUSIONS
DOTS implementation was associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of TB infection among children.
Tuberculosis Research Centre, Chennai, India.
P G
PG
Gopi
R
R
Subramani
P R
PR
Narayanan
D000293:Adolescent; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D023801:Directly Observed Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*
D000995:Antitubercular Agents