Tuberculosis infantil en Chile: ¿de dónde provienen los casos?

Abstract

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide and it is esti- mated that 6% of new cases are children. Childhood tuberculosis reflects ongoing transmission within communities. This study aims to describe the epidemiological characteristics of childhood tuberculosis in Chile between 2011 and 2020. Methodology: descriptive study of the cases of tuberculosis under 15 years-old registered in Chile from 2011 to 2020. Results: 544 cases were registered in the period analyzed, with an annual incidence rate between 1.1 and 2.2 cases per 100,000. A significant increase in cases is observed in the last three years, especially in the group under 5 years-old. 63.2% correspond to pulmonary tuberculosis, and among them 62.3% are confirmed by bacteriology. Most of the cases do not have comorbidities and the incidence of tuberculous meningitis in children under 5 years is low. Contacts are 29% of the cases and foreigners are 17%, both percentages are increasing in the last years. Conclusion: Childhood tuberculosis remains a low frequency health problem in Chile. However, its increase in recent years implies an increase in the community transmission. Active case finding, contact tracing and preventive treatment should be reinforced.