The Child and Adolescent TB Working Group is one of the seven working groups of the Stop TB Partnership. It supports the Partnership in its goal of eliminating tuberculosis (TB ).The Working Group works with the objective to promote research, policy development, the formulation and implementation of guidelines, the mobilization of human and financial resources, and collaboration with partners working in relevant fields (including maternal ,child and adolescent health, the extended programme on immunization, and HIV) to achieve the goal of decreased childhood TB mortality and morbidity.

 

Ending TB in Children and Adolescent

Access to tuberculosis (TB) prevention and care is severely lacking when it comes to children and adolescents.

More than 1 million children under 15 years fall ill with TB every year, over half of whom are not diagnosed and/or not reported. The proportion of these “missing children” is highest among the youngest, due to the lack of a sensitive diagnostic test and limited diagnostic capacity in places where they seek care.

Further, only one-third of eligible child household contacts of patients with TB receive TB preventive treatment.