Overview of paediatric tuberculosis cases treated in the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, Australia

Laila S Al Yazidi; Ben J Marais; Meredith Wickens; Pamela Palasanthiran; David Isaacs; Alexander Outhred; Brendan McMullan; Philip N Britton

doi:10.17061/phrp28231807

Public Health Research & Practice (Jul 2019)

Overview of paediatric tuberculosis cases treated in the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, Australia

Laila S Al Yazidi,
Ben J Marais,
Meredith Wickens,
Pamela Palasanthiran,
David Isaacs,
Alexander Outhred,
Brendan McMullan ,
Philip N Britton

Affiliations

Laila S Al Yazidi: Immunology and Infectious Diseases Department, Sydney Children’s Hospital, NSW, Australia; School of Women’s and Children’s Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia; Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Department, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Ben J Marais: Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Department, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
Meredith Wickens: Health Protection NSW, Sydney, Australia
Pamela Palasanthiran: Immunology and Infectious Diseases Department, Sydney Children’s Hospital, NSW, Australia; School of Women’s and Children’s Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia
David Isaacs: Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Department, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Alexander Outhred: Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Department, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
Brendan McMullan: Immunology and Infectious Diseases Department, Sydney Children’s Hospital, NSW, Australia; School of Women’s and Children’s Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia
Philip N Britton: Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Department, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp28231807
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 29, no. 2

Abstract

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Background: Sydney has a large and highly mobile immigrant community. The pattern of paediatric tuberculosis (TB) disease in this highly cosmopolitan city is not well documented. Methods: We reviewed data on all children notified with TB in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, from January 2014 to December 2015, complemented by an expanded dataset for children managed within the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN). Results: Over the 2-year study period, 921 TB cases were identified in NSW, including 26 (2.8%) children younger than 15 years of age. Of 23 children and adolescents treated for TB in the SCHN, 21 (91.3%) had a history of recent immigration from, or travel to, a country with high TB incidence, and 7 (30.4%) reported contact with an infectious TB case in Australia. Fourteen (60.9%) children had microbiologically confirmed TB; of these, 5 (21.7%) had acid-fast bacilli on microscopy, 8 (34.8%) were positive by polymerase chain reaction and 11 (47.8%) were positive by culture. All Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were susceptible to first-line drugs. Ten (43.5%) cases were not vaccinated with bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG), including all cases with severe disease: 2 with disseminated (miliary) TB and 3 with tuberculous meningitis. Conclusion: Our findings emphasise the need for improved TB prevention and surveillance in children at high risk of exposure, particularly young children travelling to areas of high TB incidence.

Published in Public Health Research & Practice

ISSN: 2204-2091 (Online)
Publisher: Sax Institute
Country of publisher: Australia
LCC subjects: Medicine: Public aspects of medicine
Website: http://www.phrp.com.au/

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