Treatment for Preventing Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

A substantial portion of the global burden of active and latent tuberculosis (TB) is found in children.^1-3 Treatment of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in children is beneficial, both for the child and for public health, because it prevents development of TB and limits future M tuberculosis transmission.^4-7 The benefits of treatment of LTBI are greater for children than for adults for several reasons: LTBI in children younger than 5 years is always recently acquired (ie, within 5 years), and recent infection has a higher likelihood of progression to disease than infection acquired less recently; children have an increased risk of developing severe TB with sequela (eg, meningitis and disseminated disease); children have more years at risk for the development of TB than adults; and children tolerate treatment for LTBI better than adults.