[Prevalence of tuberculosis infection in BCG-vaccinated and unvaccinated Mediterranean schoolchildren]. / Prevalencia de infección por tuberculosis en una población escolar mediterránea (con y sin vacunación antituberculosa).

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of tuberculous infection in schoolchildren in the province of Malaga, Spain, and to evaluate its relation to sociodemographic variables. POPULATION AND METHODS: Tuberculin skin tests were used to screen 6-year-olds in their first year of primary school in this cross-sectional study of the prevalence of infection, with calculation of 95% confidence interval (CI). Children who had not been vaccinated against tuberculosis at birth were considered to have a positive test result if they had an induration of >or=5 mm. Those who had received bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination at birth were considered to have a positive test result if they had an induration size of >10 mm or >15 mm, depending on whether they came from a country with a high or low prevalence of tuberculosis, respectively. RESULTS: The prevalence of infection in the group of unvaccinated children was 1.16% (95% CI, 0.69%-1.63%). No statistically significant differences were found for any of the sociodemographic variables analyzed. The prevalence of infection in the BCG-vaccinated children was 6.66% (95% CI, 5.55%-7.77%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of tuberculosis infection in our area is slightly higher than that reported after other studies conducted in Spain. This could indicate that tuberculosis continues to be a public health problem in the province of Malaga. Infection in the subgroup of BCG-vaccinated children, however, was lower than that observed in studies of immigrants in Spain who had been immunized at birth. This is probably because the majority of immigrants in our area come from countries with a low incidence of tuberculosis.

Prevalencia de infección por tuberculosis en una población escolar mediterránea (con y sin vacunación antituberculosa) / Prevalence of tuberculosis infection in BCG-vaccinated and unvaccinated mediterranean schoolchildren

Objetivo: Conocer la prevalencia de infección por tuberculosis en la población escolar de la Costa del Sol y valorar la relación de variables sociodemográficas con la prevalencia de infección tuberculosa. Población y métodos: Se trata de un estudio de corte transversal, en el que se realizó cribado tuberculínico a los niños de primer curso de primaria (6 años). El índice epidemiológico analizado fue la prevalencia de infección, con su intervalo de confianza (IC) del 95%. Se consideró positivo a la prueba de la tuberculina a todo niño que no había recibido la vacuna antituberculosa al nacer y que presentaba una induración igual o superior a 5 mm. En el subgrupo vacunado contra la tuberculosis al nacer se consideró positivos a los niños con induración superior a 10 mm o a 15 mm, según procediesen de países con elevada o baja prevalencia de tuberculosis, respectivamente. Resultados: La prevalencia de infección obtenida en el grupo de no vacunados fue del 1,16% (IC del 95%, 0,69-1,63%). No se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las variables analizadas. La prevalencia de infección en el subgrupo de vacunados fue del 6,66% (IC del 95%, 5,55-7,77%). Conclusiones: La prevalencia de infección tuberculosa en nuestra zona es ligeramente elevada en comparación con la observada en otros estudios realizados en nuestro país, lo que podría indicar que la tuberculosis sigue siendo un problema de salud pública en nuestra provincia. No ocurre así con el subgrupo de vacunados contra la tuberculosis, en el que, comparado con los de otros estudios realizados en nuestro país entre la población inmigrante vacunada al nacer, la prevalencia es baja, probablemente debido a que la mayoría de inmigrantes de la Costa del Sol proviene de países con baja incidencia de la enfermedad

Objective: To determine the prevalence of tuberculous infection in schoolchildren in the province of Malaga, Spain, and to evaluate its relation to sociodemographic variables. Population and methods: Tuberculin skin tests were used to screen 6-year-olds in their first year of primary school in this cross-sectional study of the prevalence of infection, with calculation of 95% confidence interval (CI). Children who had not been vaccinated against tuberculosis at birth were considered to have a positive test result if they had an induration of é5 mm. Those who had received bacillus Calmette­Guerin (BCG) vaccination at birth were considered to have a positive test result if they had an induration size of >10 mm or >15 mm, depending on whether they came from a country with a high or low prevalence of tuberculosis, respectively. Results: The prevalence of infection in the group of unvaccinated children was 1.16% (95% CI, 0.69%-1.63%). No statistically significant differences were found for any of the sociodemographic variables analyzed. The prevalence of infection in the BCG-vaccinated children was 6.66% (95% CI, 5.55%-7.77%). Conclusions: The prevalence of tuberculosis infection in our area is slightly higher than that reported after other studies conducted in Spain. This could indicate that tuberculosis continues to be a public health problem in the province of Malaga. Infection in the subgroup of BCG-vaccinated children, however, was lower than that observed in studies of immigrants in Spain who had been immunized at birth. This is probably because the majority of immigrants in our area come from countries with a low incidence of tuberculosis