Monatsschrift fur Kinderheilkunde
Volume 163, Issue 12, 2015, Pages 1287-1292

Tuberculosis screening for children and adolescents ‹ 15 years seeking asylum in Germany: Statement of the working group for AWMF guideline on tuberculosis in childhood and adolescence: diagnostics, prevention, and treatment, under the leadership of The German Society for Paediatric Infectiology [Tuberkulosescreening bei asylsuchenden Kindern und Jugendlichen › 15 Jahren in Deutschland: Stellungnahme der Arbeitsgruppe AWMF-Leitlinie Tuberkulose im Kindes- und Jugendalter: Diagnostik, Prävention und Therapie unter Federführung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Infektiologie] (Article) (Open Access)

Ritz N. , Brinkmann F. , Feiterna-Sperling C. , Hauer B. , Haas W.*
  • a Abteilung für Infektiologie, Vakzinologie und pädiatrische Pharmakologie, Universitäts-Kinderspital beider Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • b Abteilung für pädiatrische Pneumologie/CF-Zentrum, Universitätskinderklinik der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
  • c Klinik für Pädiatrie m. S. Pneumologie u. Immunologie, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
  • d Abteilung für Infektionsepidemiologie, Fachgebiet für respiratorisch übertragbare Erkrankungen, Robert Koch-Institut, Seestr. 10, Berlin, 13353, Germany
  • e Abteilung für Infektionsepidemiologie, Fachgebiet für respiratorisch übertragbare Erkrankungen, Robert Koch-Institut, Seestr. 10, Berlin, 13353, Germany

Abstract

Children and adolescents seeking asylum are at increased risk of infection with tuberculosis (TB) due to potential exposure in their country of origin, during their journey and accomodation in shared facilities. According to the German Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, persons who are to be accepted into community facilities for asylum seekers must present a medical certificate confirming that they have no evidence of infectious pulmonary TB. However, symptom or chest x-ray based screening is less sensitive and less specific for pulmonary TB in children and adolescents compared to adults. In addition a more cautious approach to using ionising radiation in this age group should be chosen. Therefore TB screening with immunodiagnostic tests including tuberculin skin tests (TST) or interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) is recommended. In children under the age of five years TST is the method of choice. In children between the age of 5 and below the age of 15 years of age TST or IGRA can be used. This should be done for all children and adolescents under 15 years old seeking asylum, regardless of the TB incidence their country of origin. Where the test result is positive, further investigation and treatment according to existing national recommendations should be conducted. © 2015, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Infektiologie.

Author Keywords

interferon-gamma release assay Recommendations Tuberculin skin test Tuberculosis, pulmonary Latent tuberculosis infection

Index Keywords

medical society thorax radiography interferon gamma release assay diagnostic procedure Germany tuberculosis ionizing radiation serodiagnosis treatment planning Article practice guideline asylum seeker infection prevention human tuberculin test Child infection risk Adolescent
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84949293243&doi=10.1007%2fs00112-015-0007-5&partnerID=40&md5=d31326763b49a3a75eeac98d198c863d
DOI: 10.1007/s00112-015-0007-5
ISSN: 00269298
Cited by: 16
Original Language: German