How do the 2007 TB Technical Instructions affect the TB evaluation in children?
To help detect TB in children, the 2007 TB Technical Instructions require that children aged 2 through 14 years undergo a TB skin test if they are medically screened in countries where the TB rate is 20 cases or more per 100,000 population. If the skin test is positive, a chest X-ray is required. If the chest X-ray suggests TB, cultures and three sputum smears are required. For a sputum smear, a small amount of mucus is collected from deep in the lungs (sputum), smeared on a slide, and viewed under a microscope to look for TB bacteria. A culture involves putting a sputum sample (i.e., a small amount of mucus from deep in the lungs) in a petri dish to see if TB bacteria grows.
