Listen to Story New findings from a recent study talk about tuberculosis (TB) risks in children living in areas where TB is widespread, such as parts of South Africa. According to research led by Boston University School of Public Health, the University of S£o Paulo, and the University of Cape Town, children up to 10 years old in these regions face a high risk of TB infection and disease. The study, published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health , is the first to track TB infection rates from birth over a decade in high-burden communities.
Each year, around 1.2 million children worldwide contract TB, and 2,00,000 children die from it. While the disease is preventable and treatable, it remains under-studied, especially in real-world settings outside of healthcare facilities.
This study followed 1,137 pregnant women and their 1,143 children near Cape Town, testing the children at 6 months, 12 months, and annually for TB infection or whenever they showed signs of respiratory infection. Findings showed a troubling pattern: by age 10, more than 10 percent of the children had developed TB disease . Children faced a 36 percent cumulative risk of TB infection by age 8.
Infection rates were highest in the first year of life and decreased gradually as the children grew older. However, 1 in 10 children developing TB disease by age 10 signals potential long-term health consequences, including weakened immunity. Dr Leonardo Martinez, a study co-senior author, emphasised that TB in chi.