SHORT REPORT

Resurgence of paediatric tuberculosis in London

P Atkinson¹, H Taylor², M Sharland², H Maguire¹

¹ Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (London), 40 Eastbourne Terrace, London W2, UK
² Paediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, St George's Hospital, Blackshaw Road, London SW17 0QT, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
P Atkinson, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (London), 40 Eastbourne Terrace, London W2, UK;
p.atkinson@cdsc.nthames.nhs.uk

Accepted 15 January 2002

Keywords: tuberculosis; London; BCG; immunisation

Abbreviations: ISC, Indian subcontinent; TB, tuberculosis

There is estimated to be over a million new cases of paediatric tuberculosis (TB) globally every year.¹ Children usually acquire TB infection from smear positive adult family contacts, a high proportion going on to develop disease. Childhood disease reflects recent infection, and therefore paediatric TB represents continuing transmission in the population.

In England and Wales, TB notifications declined from 7406 cases in 1982 to 5085 in 1987, rising to 6087 cases in 1998. In London notifications increased from 1445 in 1987 to 2444 in 1998, representing 16% and 40% of the national total respectively in those years. We had noted an increase in referrals of paediatric TB at St George's Hospital. The aim of this study was to identify and describe any evidence for an increasing incidence of paediatric TB in London.

Data were obtained from two main sources: notifications of tuberculosis to the Public Health Laboratory Service Communicable Disease . . . [Full text of this article]

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