A current review of infection control for childhood tuberculosis

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) infection control recommendations in healthcare settings were developed to decrease nosocomial transmission from adults. In the absence of pediatric-specific guidelines, these infection control recommendations have been incorporated, in almost unmodified format, for childhood TB. We will review the evidence concerning the contagiousness of TB in children, scenarios in which transmission is more likely, review United States national recommendations, and consider the family unit, as opposed to the patient, to be the transmission unit for childhood TB.