Clinical perspectives of childhood tuberculosis in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Tzong-Shiann Ho, Shih-Min Wang, Ching-Fen Shen, Kuan-Hsien Lee, Ching-Chuan Liu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2011-12-01
• Series: Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
• Subjects: childhood tuberculosis; clinical management; latent tuberculosis infection
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664611001276

Tuberculosis (TB) is an important public health issue in Taiwan and worldwide. Taiwan has made major progress in combating TB in the past 40 years. However, childhood TB still constitutes a significant challenge in disease control. From January to mid December 2011, 369 new cases of pediatric TB were confirmed. The relatively low case number and variable clinical presentations made it difficult for early detection. Latent TB infections in children also pose further complexity in clinical management. Knowledge of the clinical features of active and latent TB infection is crucial for efficient TB control.