Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T04:26:23.119Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Tuberculosis among Families of Children with Suspected Tuberculosis and Employees at a Children's Hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Andrea T. Cruz*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
Denise Medina
Affiliation:
Employee Health Services, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
Elaine M. Whaley
Affiliation:
Infection Control Office, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
Kathy M. Ware
Affiliation:
Infection Control Office, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
Tjin H. Koy
Affiliation:
Infection Control Office, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
Jeffrey R. Starke
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas Infection Control Office, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
*
Department of Pediatrics, Sections of Emergency Medicine and Infectious Diseases, 6621 Fannin Street, Suite A210, MC 1-1481, Houston, TX 77030 (acruz@bcm.edu)

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.

Type
Concise Communication
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Starke, JR. Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among children and adolescents. Semin Pediatr Infect Dis 2001;12:115123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Curtis, AB, Rizdon, R, Vogei, R, et al. Extensive transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from a child. N Engl J Med 1999;341:14911495.Google Scholar
3. Laartz, BW, Navarte, HJ, Holt, D, Larkin, JA, Pomputius, WF. Congenital tuberculosis and management of exposures in a neonatal intensive care unit. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002;23:573579.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Muñoz, FM, Ong, LT, Seavy, D, Medina, D, Correa, A, Starke, JR. Tuberculosis among adult visitors of children with suspected tuberculosis and employees at a children's hospital. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002;23:568572.Google Scholar
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Reported Tuberculosis in the United States, 2008. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, 2009.Google Scholar
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidelines for preventing the transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in healthcare settings, 2005. MMWR Recomm Rep 2005;54:1141.Google Scholar
7. American Thoracic Society and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diagnostic standards and classification of tuberculosis in adults and children. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2000;161:13761395.Google Scholar
8. Kellerman, SE, Simonds, D, Banerjee, S, Towsley, J, Stover, BH, Jarvis, W. APIC and CDC survey of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolation and control practices in hospitals caring for children; part 1: patient and family isolation policies and procedures. Am J Infect Control 1998;26:478482.Google Scholar
9. Christie, CDC, Constantinou, P, Marx, ML, et al. Low risk for tuberculosis in a regional pediatric hospital: nine-year study of community rates and the mandatory tuberculin skin-test program. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1998;19:168174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar