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Tuberculosis among Families of Children with Suspected Tuberculosis and Employees at a Children's Hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Andrea T. Cruz*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
Denise Medina
Affiliation:
Employee Health Services, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
Elaine M. Whaley
Affiliation:
Infection Control Office, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
Kathy M. Ware
Affiliation:
Infection Control Office, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
Tjin H. Koy
Affiliation:
Infection Control Office, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
Jeffrey R. Starke
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas Infection Control Office, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
*
Department of Pediatrics, Sections of Emergency Medicine and Infectious Diseases, 6621 Fannin Street, Suite A210, MC 1-1481, Houston, TX 77030 ([email protected])

Abstract

Children with tuberculosis are rarely contagious, but their caregivers may be. Only 7 (12%) of 59 children were potentially contagious, and 10 (17%) were accompanied by contagious adults. Screening caregivers was more cost-effective than performing employee contact investigations, with one-sixteenth the cost ($5,470 vs $88,323) and requiring screening of 35 times fewer persons.

Type
Concise Communication
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2011

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