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Prevalence of tuberculosis infection in Melbourne secondary school students.
- Source :
-
The Medical journal of Australia [Med J Aust] 1998 Feb 02; Vol. 168 (3), pp. 106-10. - Publication Year :
- 1998
-
Abstract
- Objective: To estimate the prevalence of asymptomatic Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in Melbourne secondary school students.<br />Design: Cross-sectional Mantoux testing of a partly random and partly targeted sample of secondary school students, designed to enable estimation of prevalence by region of birth.<br />Setting: Fifty-one State and Catholic secondary schools in metropolitan Melbourne during 1995.<br />Participants: Australian and overseas-born students in Years 9 and 10.<br />Outcome Measures: Proportions of students with positive Mantoux reactions (defined as induration at 48 hours of > or = 5 mm with a history of recent exposure; > or = 10 mm and no prior BCG vaccination; > or = 15 mm and prior BCG vaccination).<br />Results: Of 2586 students potentially eligible for testing, evaluable results were obtained from 1274 (49%). The overall prevalence of infection for Melbourne students in Years 9 and 10 was 2.5% (95% CI, 1.1-3.9%). Main predictors of a positive test were birth overseas and number of years residing overseas. Prevalence varied considerably by region of birth, and was very low in students born in Australia (0.7%), "other developed countries" (0.7%), and Southern Europe (0). The highest rates were observed in students born in Indochina (15.9%), other countries in South East Asia (10.2%), and Eastern Europe (10.2%).<br />Conclusions: The risk of a young person becoming infected with M. tuberculosis while living in Melbourne is very low. Our results do not indicate a need for the reintroduction of mass screening in Victorian schools. If targeted screening were to be considered, the group most likely to benefit would be recently arrived migrants from Indochina.
- Subjects :
- Adjuvants, Immunologic therapeutic use
Adolescent
Antitubercular Agents therapeutic use
Australia epidemiology
BCG Vaccine administration & dosage
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Ethnicity
Female
Humans
Male
Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolation & purification
Prevalence
Random Allocation
Retrospective Studies
Schools
Tuberculin Test
Tuberculosis prevention & control
Tuberculosis epidemiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0025-729X
- Volume :
- 168
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The Medical journal of Australia
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 9484326
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1998.tb126742.x