TY - JOUR
T1 - Counting children with tuberculosis
T2 - why numbers matter
AU - Seddon, J. A.
AU - Jenkins, H. E.
AU - Liu, L.
AU - Cohen, T.
AU - Black, R. E.
AU - Vos, T.
AU - Becerra, M. C.
AU - Graham, S. M.
AU - Sismanidis, C.
AU - Dodd, P. J.
PY - 2015/12/1
Y1 - 2015/12/1
N2 - In the last 5 years, childhood tuberculosis (TB) has received increasing attention from international organisations, national TB programmes and academics. For the first time, a number of different groups are developing techniques to estimate the burden of childhood TB. We review the challenges in diagnosing TB in children and the reasons why cases in children can go unreported. We discuss the importance of an accurate understanding of burden for identifying problems in programme delivery, targeting interventions, monitoring trends, setting targets, allocating resources appropriately and providing strong advocacy. We briefly review the estimates produced by new analytical methods, and outline the reasons for recent improvements in our understanding and potential future directions. We conclude that while innovation, collaboration and better data have improved our understanding of the childhood TB burden, it remains substantially incomplete.
AB - In the last 5 years, childhood tuberculosis (TB) has received increasing attention from international organisations, national TB programmes and academics. For the first time, a number of different groups are developing techniques to estimate the burden of childhood TB. We review the challenges in diagnosing TB in children and the reasons why cases in children can go unreported. We discuss the importance of an accurate understanding of burden for identifying problems in programme delivery, targeting interventions, monitoring trends, setting targets, allocating resources appropriately and providing strong advocacy. We briefly review the estimates produced by new analytical methods, and outline the reasons for recent improvements in our understanding and potential future directions. We conclude that while innovation, collaboration and better data have improved our understanding of the childhood TB burden, it remains substantially incomplete.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84977188134&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5588/ijtld.15.0471
DO - 10.5588/ijtld.15.0471
M3 - Review article
C2 - 26564535
AN - SCOPUS:84977188134
SN - 1027-3719
VL - 19
SP - 9
EP - 16
JO - The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
JF - The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
ER -