Tuberculosis in children: a call to action
13 years, 11 months ago

Tuberculosis in children: a call to action

The Hindu  

A severely malnourished young girl, about one and a half years old, was brought to the out-patient department of a busy teaching hospital with symptoms of fever, cough and lethargy for about 10 days. Worldwide, at least 1 million TB cases occur each year in children under 15 years of age, 75 per cent of these occur in 22 high burden countries. Recent studies in Africa showed that TB was a common cause of “pneumonia” in both HIV infected and uninfected children – it was detected only when a special effort was made as part of a research study. Scientists and researchers need to do a better job of raising awareness, educating and engaging with the community about clinical trials in general and trials in children, in particular, especially since most participants in TB clinical trials tend to be poorly educated and socially disadvantaged. However, screening of household contacts of adult TB patients and provision of preventive drugs to young children must receive higher priority.

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History of this topic

Tuberculosis cases in the US rose to their highest levels in more than a dozen years
3 days ago

Tuberculosis cases in the US rose to their highest levels in more than a dozen years

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Tuberculosis continued to rise again in the U.S. last year, reaching its highest levels in more than a dozen years. More than 10,300 cases were reported last year, an 8% increase from 2023 and the highest since 2011, according to preliminary data posted this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Kansas TB rate …

Experts call for better Paediatric DR-TB care through child-friendly drugs and policy support
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Experts call for better Paediatric DR-TB care through child-friendly drugs and policy support

The Hindu  

At 16, Sonam from Banaras was diagnosed with pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, a severe form of the disease requiring intensive treatment. Recent findings published in The Lancet analysed 23,369 cases across 42 studies, focusing on children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant TB in high-burden countries like India and South Africa. “TB elimination programmes must include all groups without delays -- …

Children, teens in India under-represented in drug-resistant tuberculosis case numbers, find studies
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Children, teens in India under-represented in drug-resistant tuberculosis case numbers, find studies

The Hindu  

Studies have found that children and teenagers treated for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, including those in India, are under-represented in case numbers, with researchers calling for a "focus for case-finding efforts" in this age group. Researchers reviewed previously published studies to understand trends in multidrug-resistant treatment of TB in children and teenagers aged 18 or below. The findings, published in The Lancet …

Children, teens under-represented in drug-resistant tuberculosis cases; finds studies
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Children, teens under-represented in drug-resistant tuberculosis cases; finds studies

India TV News  

Children and teenagers treated for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, including those in India, are under-represented in case numbers, studies have found. Reviewing previous studies, researchers analysed trends in multidrug-resistant treatment of TB in children and teenagers aged 18 or below. One of the reviews, including those from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, analysed 42 studies involving over 23,369 children and …

Children in high tuberculosis zones face high risk of infection by age 10
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Children in high tuberculosis zones face high risk of infection by age 10

India Today  

New findings from a recent study talk about tuberculosis risks in children living in areas where TB is widespread, such as parts of South Africa. According to research led by Boston University School of Public Health, the University of S£o Paulo, and the University of Cape Town, children up to 10 years old in these regions face a high risk …

Tuberculosis cases hit record high: WHO
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Tuberculosis cases hit record high: WHO

Raw Story  

A record 8.2 million new tuberculosis cases were diagnosed worldwide last year, the World Health Organization said -- the highest number since it began global TB monitoring in 1995. While the number of TB-related deaths declined from 1.32 million in 2022 to 1.25 million last year, the total number of people contracting the infectious disease increased from 7.5 million to …

WHO says 2023 saw the highest number of tuberculosis cases on record
4 months, 3 weeks ago

WHO says 2023 saw the highest number of tuberculosis cases on record

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} More than …

US tuberculosis cases were at the highest level in a decade in 2023
11 months, 3 weeks ago

US tuberculosis cases were at the highest level in a decade in 2023

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The number of U.S. tuberculosis cases in 2023 were the highest in a decade, according to a new government report. Experts say the 2023 number is in part a combination of a surge in TB cases internationally — the World Health Organization said TB was behind only COVID-19 in infectious fatal diseases worldwide in 2022. CDC officials …

The world’s deadliest infectious disease is on the rise in the UK
1 year ago

The world’s deadliest infectious disease is on the rise in the UK

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. More than a million people a year die from …

Tuberculosis is on the rise in the UK – what is it and is it serious?
1 year ago

Tuberculosis is on the rise in the UK – what is it and is it serious?

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

Tuberculosis: First time infections rise to 30-year high
1 year, 4 months ago

Tuberculosis: First time infections rise to 30-year high

Hindustan Times  

An estimated 10.6 million people developed tuberculosis in 2022. The World Health Organization said this was the highest annual record of new cases of TB since it started monitoring the disease in 1995. Due to isolation and quarantine measures during the pandemic, many people failed to get tested for TB, said Ananthakrishnan: "A large number of people who had extra …

Missed childhood TB cases impede achieving 2025 goal
1 year, 6 months ago

Missed childhood TB cases impede achieving 2025 goal

The Hindu  

With childhood TB continuing to remain a “staggering problem” in India, “eliminating” TB by 2025 might be extremely challenging. As per the 2022 WHO global TB report, last year, children aged less than 15 years across the world accounted for 11% of the total estimated incident TB cases. According to the 2022 paediatric TB management guidelines for India, nearly 0.34 …

One-fifth of the adult population in the capital harbours TB bacilli
2 years, 2 months ago

One-fifth of the adult population in the capital harbours TB bacilli

The Hindu  

A community-based cross-sectional study among adults in Thiruvananthapuram district has reported that roughly one-fifth of the adult population in the district--20.5% of adults -- have tuberculosis infection This means that they have Latent TB Infection, a state wherein they are harbouring the TB bacilli in their body while not having clinically active TB disease. Though it is an accepted fact …

Child TB notifications saw a sharp decline in 2020: Lancet study
2 years, 2 months ago

Child TB notifications saw a sharp decline in 2020: Lancet study

Hindustan Times  

According to a recent study published in the Lancet, notifications of child tuberculosis have seen some of the largest declines in India. According to a recent study published in the Lancet, notifications of child tuberculosis have seen some of the largest declines in India The study, “Global impact of Covid-19 on childhood tuberculosis: an analysis of notification data,” was published …

Tuberculosis cases worldwide rise for the first time in years
2 years, 4 months ago

Tuberculosis cases worldwide rise for the first time in years

LA Times  

A relative adjusts the oxygen mask of a tuberculosis patient at a TB hospital on World Tuberculosis Day in Hyderabad, India, on March 24, 2018. The WHO also blamed COVID-19 for much of the rise in TB, saying the pandemic “continues to have a damaging impact on access to TB diagnosis and treatment.” It said progress made before 2019 has …

Tuberculosis deaths up in pandemic: WHO
3 years, 5 months ago

Tuberculosis deaths up in pandemic: WHO

The Hindu  

The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of global progress in tackling tuberculosis and for the first time in over a decade, TB deaths have increased, according to the 2021 Global TB report released recently by the World Health Organization. The WHO estimated that some 4.1 million people currently suffer from TB but had not been diagnosed with the disease or …

Tuberculosis deaths rise for first time in years due to fight against COVID-19, WHO says
3 years, 5 months ago

Tuberculosis deaths rise for first time in years due to fight against COVID-19, WHO says

ABC  

The number of people killed by tuberculosis has risen for the first time in more than a decade as resources were diverted to fight the COVID-9 pandemic. Key points: The WHO estimated that about 4 million people live undiagnosed with tuberculosis Poor countries faced testing barriers due to inflated test prices, according to Doctors Without Borders Global investment into TB …

Tuberculosis deaths rise for the first time in years, largely due to COVID-19 pandemic
3 years, 5 months ago

Tuberculosis deaths rise for the first time in years, largely due to COVID-19 pandemic

LA Times  

The number of tuberculosis deaths has risen for the first time in more than a decade, largely because fewer people got tested and treated as resources were diverted to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization said Thursday. In its yearly report on TB, the United Nations health agency said 1.5 million people worldwide died of the bacterial disease …

Tuberculosis kills over 4 lakh Indians a year: Hard learned lessons can assist in the fight against COVID-19
4 years, 11 months ago

Tuberculosis kills over 4 lakh Indians a year: Hard learned lessons can assist in the fight against COVID-19

Firstpost  

It is because underlying conditions like TB are endemic in the country that experts are especially concerned about an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The World Health Organization released a tuberculosis report on the 24th of March; in 2018 over 10 million people were sickened by TB and 1.5 million of those died. India has developed a vast army of …

Why India desperately needs a new tuberculosis vaccine
5 years, 4 months ago

Why India desperately needs a new tuberculosis vaccine

Firstpost  

Currently, babies as young as one-day-old are given the BCG vaccine to protect them from TB. Currently, babies as young as one-day-old are given the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin or BCG vaccine in Indian hospitals to protect them from TB. India figures With an estimated 30 lakh TB cases and more than 20 lakh new cases registered each year, India is among …

Drug-resistant TB high in India, 5 lakh deaths a year
5 years, 5 months ago

Drug-resistant TB high in India, 5 lakh deaths a year

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The incidences of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, already a high in India by global standards, is increasing, as over five lakh new cases are identified each year. Telangana has 50,000 new cases of MDRT TB every year.” The ground reality is that 80 per cent of patients do not understand the concept of having to complete the TB treatment course. …

One Little Girl Beat The Deadliest Form Of Tuberculosis. She Is Very Lucky.
8 years ago

One Little Girl Beat The Deadliest Form Of Tuberculosis. She Is Very Lucky.

Huff Post  

WASHINGTON ― When Baltimore resident Arjun kisses his 6-year-old daughter’s forehead, it’s not always just a sign of affection. Tuberculosis is the world’s biggest killer among infectious diseases, and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis ― or XDR-TB, which is resistant to the most effective treatment regimens available ― is the most dangerous form of the disease. It’s not something you can protect …

Study raises concern over drug-resistant tuberculosis in children, says more than 20 lakh infected globally
8 years, 8 months ago

Study raises concern over drug-resistant tuberculosis in children, says more than 20 lakh infected globally

India TV News  

London: Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a form of tuberculosis that has largely been associated with children who are affected with the disease and also has important implications for the TB control programme. According to a new study done by researchers from the University of Sheffield, Imperial College London, and the World Health Organisation, more then 67 million children were infected by …

Will the New TB Drug For Kids Wipe Out the Deadly Disease?
9 years, 3 months ago

Will the New TB Drug For Kids Wipe Out the Deadly Disease?

The Quint  

A million children worldwide develop tuberculosis every year. The problem is that children with tuberculosis have to pop in the same pills as adults, and we all know how good kids are with large, metallic tasting medicines. As a result, 32,000 children across the world get the deadly superbugs, which make treatment tougher and are often fatal. What’s worse, the …

Will the New TB Drug For Kids Wipe Out the Deadly Disease?
9 years, 3 months ago

Will the New TB Drug For Kids Wipe Out the Deadly Disease?

The Quint  

A million children worldwide develop tuberculosis every year. The problem is that children with tuberculosis have to pop in the same pills as adults, and we all know how good kids are with large, metallic tasting medicines. As a result, 32,000 children across the world get the deadly superbugs, which make treatment tougher and are often fatal. What’s worse, the …

‘Child-friendly paediatric TB drugs will be a game changer’
9 years, 3 months ago

‘Child-friendly paediatric TB drugs will be a game changer’

The Hindu  

Treating young children afflicted by drug-sensitive TB disease will no longer be the same. India expects to roll out the new FDCs in a pilot project in 100 districts”, Dr. Cherise Scott, head of paediatric programs at TB Alliance, Geneva said in an email to The Hindu. “It is likely that cutting and crushing of adult pills could have contributed …

Child-friendly TB drugs launched
9 years, 3 months ago

Child-friendly TB drugs launched

The Hindu  

For the first time, child-friendly TB drugs for first-line medication in a fixed-dose combination was launched by TB Alliance, UNITAID and WHO at the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Cape Town, South Africa, on Wednesday. The fixed-dose drugs are already available and countries can place an order, which can take 2-3 months for delivery, says Cherise Scott, …

Childhood TB: The hidden epidemic
10 years ago

Childhood TB: The hidden epidemic

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Vital Signs is a monthly program bringing viewers health stories from around the world. “Children are expected to contribute to between 12-20% of our TB cases … that’s about 12,000 children,” says Frank Mugabe, national TB program manager for the Ministry of Health in Uganda, where more than 60,000 new cases of TB are diagnosed each year. Finding …

Training doctors to diagnose paediatric TB to start soon
10 years, 11 months ago

Training doctors to diagnose paediatric TB to start soon

The Hindu  

In a few months from now, children in India with paediatric TB will stand a better chance of being diagnosed early and treated without much delay. “The Ministry of Health Child TB Division is very keen on joining hands with IAP for training the doctors and disseminating information on the updated guidelines for diagnosis and management of paediatric TB,” said …

One million TB cases in children annually
10 years, 11 months ago

One million TB cases in children annually

The Hindu  

One million children aged below 15 years are annually diseased with tuberculosis across the world, notes a study published a few days ago in The Lancet. “It is certainly possible that the true numbers of children with both TB and MDR-TB will turn out to be higher than what we have estimated,” noted Dr. Mercedes C. Becerra from the Division …

‘In 2003, RNTCP had eight lines in the guidelines that related to TB in children’
11 years, 3 months ago

‘In 2003, RNTCP had eight lines in the guidelines that related to TB in children’

The Hindu  

After years of neglect by the World Health Organisation and almost all the national tuberculosis programmes across the world, the global spotlight is now on childhood TB. Prof. Steve Graham from the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Australia, and also The Union, France has seen the focus of WHO shifting to childhood TB from close quarters. It …

‘Nuances of childhood TB are never taught in medical schools’
11 years, 3 months ago

‘Nuances of childhood TB are never taught in medical schools’

The Hindu  

If diagnosing tuberculosis in children, particularly those aged under five years, is fraught with problems, health-care workers at different levels who are unaware of the latest advancements in childhood TB diagnosis and treatment make it even worse. “There is an urgent need for greater awareness of and increased screening for TB in children, particularly by services that serve children… Children …

‘Sentinel Project provides guidance on preventive treatment for children with MDR-TB infection’
11 years, 3 months ago

‘Sentinel Project provides guidance on preventive treatment for children with MDR-TB infection’

The Hindu  

Mercedes C Becerrais an Associate Professor in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She, along with Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Director of Chennai-based National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis initiated the Sentinel Project on Pediatric Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis — a virtual network of global researchers, caregivers, and advocates who share a vision of a world where …

‘Very few children in India are diagnosed and treated for MDR-TB’
11 years, 4 months ago

‘Very few children in India are diagnosed and treated for MDR-TB’

The Hindu  

“A child with TB as likely as an adult with TB to have MDR-TB,” notes the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2013. that was released last month. “Very few children are diagnosed and treated for MDR-TB,” said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Director of the Chennai-based National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis. Doctors think children can’t get infected with MDR-TB.” This is despite …

Childhood TB: epidemiology reveals two risk periods
11 years, 4 months ago

Childhood TB: epidemiology reveals two risk periods

The Hindu  

A body of evidence clearly points out that children aged under five years are at-risk group for getting infected with TB and developing disease very soon after infection. According to a 2006 paper in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, young children aged under one year run the greatest risk — 30 to 40 per cent risk …

‘Age has a significant effect on the immune system in childhood TB’
11 years, 4 months ago

‘Age has a significant effect on the immune system in childhood TB’

The Hindu  

Prof Peter R. Donald, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University, South Africa was awarded the highest honour, the Union Medal, of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, at the 2010 General Assembly in Berlin. Prasadby email why childhood TB is a family disease in those …

Missing TB cases
11 years, 4 months ago

Missing TB cases

The Hindu  

Although tuberculosis killed 1.3 million people across the globe in 2012 and nearly 8.6 million developed the disease, the world is on track to reach some important targets of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals. According to WHO’s global tuberculosis report 2013 released recently, the incidence rate has been falling, and the mortality rate since 1990 has been reduced by 45 …

Why the true burden of paediatric TB remains unknown
11 years, 4 months ago

Why the true burden of paediatric TB remains unknown

The Hindu  

“Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. After years of neglect, WHO in its recent report — Road map for childhood tuberculosis — has rightly pointed out saying: “the urgency of the problem of TB in children, whose full scope is still not fully known, cannot be underestimated.” In 2012, the global burden of …

Contact screening: the risk of wrong TB diagnosis
11 years, 5 months ago

Contact screening: the risk of wrong TB diagnosis

The Hindu  

Of the nine million cases of tuberculosis across the world annually, children below 15 years of age account for about one million. Of the paediatric cases, children under five years are particularly vulnerable to getting infected and developing active TB. Yet, as the updated national guidelines for paediatric TB in India point out, utmost care needs to be taken to …

TB: how many young children are wrongly diagnosed as disease-free?
11 years, 5 months ago

TB: how many young children are wrongly diagnosed as disease-free?

The Hindu  

India’s Revised National TB Control Programme estimates that children comprise about 12 per cent of the total TB caseload in the country. As WHO’s “Roadmap for childhood Tuberculosis,” has pointed out, there are no “effective diagnostic tests.” Unexplained loss of more than five per cent of the highest weight recorded in the past three months, or fever and/or cough for …

Don’t ignore the children
11 years, 5 months ago

Don’t ignore the children

The Hindu  

After years of neglect, childhood tuberculosis — which accounts for over six per cent of the global TB burden — is finally getting due attention. Most often, all cases of extra-pulmonary TB go unreported even though this category of TB accounts for “approximately 20-30 per cent.” Unlike adolescents, children under five may not produce sputum for examination. Implementing the WHO’s …

Programme to prevent TB in children neglected
11 years, 5 months ago

Programme to prevent TB in children neglected

The Hindu  

The Revised National TB Control Programme that came into being in 1997 has to its credit some enviable accomplishments. “Children below six years have more chances of developing active TB after exposure and also more chances of developing severe disease,” Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Director of the Chennai-based National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis noted in her email to this Correspondent. …

Watch out for TB in children
12 years, 11 months ago

Watch out for TB in children

The Hindu  

With the World Health Organisation identifying childhood tuberculosis as a hidden epidemic, TB specialists and paediatric pulmonologists in the city say the disease can be checked by taking some precautions. Unlike in adults where a sputum test would help in diagnosing the disease, a TB skin test and chest X-ray are important in detecting the disease in children, he adds. …

More youngsters getting tuberculosis
17 years ago

More youngsters getting tuberculosis

Hindustan Times  

Stress, sleepless nights, smoking and crash diets have pushed up tuberculosis infection among urban 18-35 year olds. HT Image The WHO’s ‘Tuberculosis in the Southeast Asia Region 2008’ report released on Monday also shows that about one in three people in India have latent TB, which means they are infected but do not show symptoms because of a strong immunity. …

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