a tuberculin skin test survey among ghanaian school children结核菌素皮肤试验调查加纳的学生之一.pdfVIP

Addo et al. BMC Public Health 2010, 10:35 /1471-2458/10/35 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access A tuberculin skin test survey among Ghanaian school children 1* 3,4 1 5 1 Kennedy Kwasi Addo , Susan van den Hof , Gloria Ivy Mensah , Adukwei Hesse , Christian Bonsu , 2 6 6 Kwadwo Ansah Koram , Felix Kwami Afutu , Frank Adae Bonsu Abstract Background: Ghana has not conducted a national tuberculin survey or tuberculosis prevalence survey since the establishment of the National Tuberculosis Control Programme. The primary objective of this study was therefore to determine the prevalence of tuberculin skin sensitivity in Ghanaian school children aged 6-10 years in 8 out of 10 regions of Ghana between 2004 and 2006. Methods: Tuberculin survey was conducted in 179 primary schools from 21 districts in 8 regions. Schools were purposively selected so as to reflect the proportion of affluent private and free tuition public schools as well as the proportion of small and large schools. Results: Of the 24,778 children registered for the survey, 23,600 (95.2%) were tested of which 21,861 (92.6%) were available for reading. The age distribution showed an increase in numbers of children towards older age: 11% of the children were 6 years and 25%, 10 years. Females were 52.5% and males 47.5%. The proportion of girls was higher in all age groups (range 51.4% to 54.0%, p 0.001). BCG scar was visible in 89.3% of the children. The percentage of children with a BCG scar differed by district and by age. The percentage of children with a BCG scar decreased with increasing age in all districts, reflecting increasing BCG vaccination coverage in Ghana in the