Improving Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy Uptake: A Cluster-randomized Trial of Symptom-based Versus Tuberculin Skin Test-based Screening of Household Tuberculosis Contacts Less Than 5 Years of Age.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) is highly effective at preventing tuberculosis disease in household child contacts (<5 years), but is poorly implemented worldwide. In 2006, the World Health Organization recommended symptom-based screening as a replacement for tuberculin skin testing (TST) to simplify contact evaluation and improve implementation. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of this recommendation.

Methods

We conducted a pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial to determine whether contact evaluation using symptom screening improved the proportion of identified child contacts who initiated TPT, compared to TST-based screening, in Matlosana, South Africa. We randomized 16 clinics to either symptom-based or TST-based contact evaluations. Outcome data wer

SUBMITTER: Salazar-Austin N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7146009 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature