Closing the Policy-Practice Gap in the Management of Child Contacts of Tuberculosis Cases in Developing Countries

Summary Points:• in contact with an adult with smear-positive tuberculosis (TB) are at high risk of being infected themselves and progressing to TB disease. • World Health Organization recommends that such children, if aged under 5 years, should receive preventive treatment once TB disease has been ruled out. • policy is rarely implemented and attempts to do so have had disappointing results. • propose a new approach using a health needs assessment framework, research tools, and a strategy for clinical evaluation. • show how this approach could be applied and evaluated by National TB Control Programs.