Global child TB infection estimates doubled

Approximately one million children contract tuberculosis (TB) annually, with 32,000 suffering from a multi-drug resistant (MDR) strain, according to a new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers and colleagues. These findings are double previous childhood TB estimates. The study, published online in The Lancet on March 23, 2014, is the first to estimate childhood cases of MDR-TB.

The researchers, including HSPH’s Ted Cohen, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, and Marcello Pagano, professor of statistical computing, call for improved methods of collecting data on pediatric TB in order to address unmet needs for prevention and treatment.

Read The Lancet abstract: Incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis disease in children: systematic review and global estimates

Read Harvard Gazette coverage: New childhood TB cases double earlier estimates