Preventing tuberculosis in household contacts crucial to protect children and contain epidemic spread

Despite the launch of the ambitious End TB Strategy in 2014, tuberculosis remains the leading infectious cause of death globally.1 Children with documented tuberculosis exposure or living in areas with uncontrolled tuberculosis transmission are at high risk of disease. Estimates are that about 1 million children develop tuberculosis disease every year, resulting in more than 200 000 tuberculosis-associated deaths.1,2 Tuberculosis is now recognised as one of the top ten causes of under-5 mortality in tuberculosis-endemic areas.