Carolyn Kavita Tauro
First published on CNS March 2013
According to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2012 - the first report to include an estimate on the burden of TB among children – there are over 490,000 cases and 64,000 deaths due to TB in children per year. This, in all likelihood, is an underestimate and therefore, just a tip of the iceberg. Also, the number of these deaths includes only those of HIV negative children, as HIV positive children would be classified under HIV deaths. In India, the number of notified new TB cases in 2011 was about 1.5 million (15 lakhs) with 150,000 of them being children. About 70%-80% of the children suffering from TB have it in their lungs (pulmonary TB) while the rest may be affected with extra pulmonary TB in in other parts of their body. Infants and young children often suffer from the TB associated with highest mortality, such as TB meningitis, while adolescents are more at a risk of developing the adult-type disease.
First published on CNS March 2013
According to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2012 - the first report to include an estimate on the burden of TB among children – there are over 490,000 cases and 64,000 deaths due to TB in children per year. This, in all likelihood, is an underestimate and therefore, just a tip of the iceberg. Also, the number of these deaths includes only those of HIV negative children, as HIV positive children would be classified under HIV deaths. In India, the number of notified new TB cases in 2011 was about 1.5 million (15 lakhs) with 150,000 of them being children. About 70%-80% of the children suffering from TB have it in their lungs (pulmonary TB) while the rest may be affected with extra pulmonary TB in in other parts of their body. Infants and young children often suffer from the TB associated with highest mortality, such as TB meningitis, while adolescents are more at a risk of developing the adult-type disease.