Paediatric tuberculosis in a Pacific Islands community in New Zealand

Abstract

Children are at high risk of developing active disease after exposure to TB. The study describes the minimal symptoms manifested in many of the children with significant radiological changes consistent with pulmonary TB. This highlights the need to consider Mantoux testing and chest X-rays for children presenting with persistent respiratory symptoms in high-risk populations. Issues of contact tracing and adherence were also a problem in this population.

Primary Tuberculosis Infection in 35 Children at a Swedish Day Care Center

“…7 The high proportion of infected children in the Young Group, 83%, is comparable to what was previously seen within households and in a day care center outbreak. 8,9 It implies that the contact between care providers and children at a day care center is at the same risk level for transmission as within a household setting. If a center is used by more children, parents, and staff than it was originally designed for, this risk is often higher.…”

Whakapapa in anthropological research on tuberculosis in the Pacific

“…The auckland regional public health service worked extremely hard to limit the spread of tb and to treat all involved but they were hampered by inter-household movement, difficulties in tracing people, and unfamiliarity with this 'new' pacific community. in a few cases, people were reluctant to declare themselves to authorities, perhaps because of their immigration status or the stigma surrounding tb (or all of the above) (Voss et al, 2006). ng shiu (2008) and hay (2009) who, in conjunction with our project, carried out research in auckland with pacific people, including tuvaluans, found that all these factors were important contributors to diagnostic delay and difficulties in contact tracing.…”

“…large interconnected families were caught up in it. They were linked in several ways and particularly though a woman (the initial source), the mother of the child first diagnosed, who herself had undiagnosed active pulmonary tb disease for several months and had stayed in several different households, providing informal help with childcare (Voss et al, 2006). The auckland regional public health service worked extremely hard to limit the spread of tb and to treat all involved but they were hampered by inter-household movement, difficulties in tracing people, and unfamiliarity with this 'new' pacific community.…”

“…Young children are unable to transmit disease, mainly because they have less productive coughs, so age also provides clues about direction and time of transmission. typically, adults infect children, as occurred in the outbreak which is the focus of this analysis (Voss et al, 2006).…”

“…The environmental realm with which we are concerned in this paper is that of tuberculosis as it occurs in the small tuvaluan community in auckland, as well as in tuvalu. The outbreak of tb that we take as our focus was documented within the tuvaluan community in auckland in 2002 and 2003. analysis of the part of the outbreak affecting children was published by members of auckland regional public health service (Voss, campbell, tildesley, hay, Vaughan & Thornley, 2006). our research project seeks to understand this outbreak as part of the broader picture of pacific tuberculosis including tuvalu, new Zealand and the cook islands.…”