title: A tuberculosis outbreak among senior high school students in China in 2011.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An outbreak of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) occurred in students attending Licai Training School, Gujiao City, China, in early 2011. The epidemic characteristics and possible contributory factors relating to the spread of this outbreak of PTB were studied in a field investigation  and are reported here.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cases were detected by PTB symptom screening, tuberculin skin testing (TST), chest X-radiography, and examination of sputum smears and cultures for all students, school staff and close family contacts of patients with PTB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 287 students attending  the school, 45 (15.7%) were diagnosed with PTB and two (0.7%) had a positive smear. No PTB was found among staff and close family contacts. Prevalence was high in Science Class 27 and the two floors of the dormitory building where the smear-positive TB patients studied and lived. The frequency  of strong TST positivity was also high in Science Class 27 and among close contacts living in the same dormitories as the PTB patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Several avoidable factors likely to have enhanced disease transmission were identified and several recommendations are made to reduce the risk  of future TB outbreaks in schools.
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016358:Contact Tracing; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D015995:Prevalence; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D055815:Young Adult