Tuberculosis among families of children with suspected tuberculosis and employees at a children's hospital

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2011 Feb;32(2):188-90. doi: 10.1086/657940.

Abstract

Children with tuberculosis are rarely contagious, but their caregivers may be. Only 7 (12%) of 59 children were potentially contagious, and 10 (17%) were accompanied by contagious adults. Screening caregivers was more cost-effective than performing employee contact investigations, with one-sixteenth the cost ($5,470 vs $88,323) and requiring screening of 35 times fewer persons.

MeSH terms

  • Caregivers
  • Cross Infection / diagnosis
  • Cross Infection / microbiology
  • Cross Infection / prevention & control
  • Cross Infection / transmission*
  • Hospitals, Pediatric
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / methods
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical* / prevention & control
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / isolation & purification
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Texas
  • Tuberculin Test / economics*
  • Tuberculosis / diagnosis
  • Tuberculosis / prevention & control
  • Tuberculosis / transmission*