Spatial distribution and temporal trend of childhood tuberculosis in Brazil

• Published in: Tropical medicine and infectious disease Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 1 - 11
• Main Authors: Costa, Fernanda Bruzadelli Paulino da, Ramos, Antonio Carlos Vieira, Berra, Thaís Zamboni, Alves, Yan Mathias, Silva, Ruan Victor Dos Santos, Crispim, Juliane de Almeida, Santos, Marcio Souza Dos, Nanque, Adelia Roberto, Teibo, Titilade Kehinde Ayandeyi, Arcêncio, Ricardo Alexandre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland MDPI 25.12.2022; MDPI AG
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Age groups; AIDS; child health; Decomposition; Diagnosis; Disease; Diseases; epidemiology; Etiology; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; infectious diseases; Information systems; Laboratories; Mortality; Patients; Public health; Services for; Software; Teenagers; Time series; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis in children; Brazil; United States > US; epidemiology; child health; infectious diseases; tuberculosis
• ISSN: 2414-6366; 2414-6366
• DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed8010012

Tuberculosis (TB) in children presents specificities in its diagnosis, which makes it prone to underreporting: therefore, the disease in this group is still a serious public health problem in several countries. We aimed to analyze the spatial distribution and temporal trend of childhood TB in Brazil. An ecological study with time series, spatial analysis, and description of cases in Brazil between 2010-2021 was conducted. A total of 1,054,263 TB cases were reported in the period, with 30,001 (2.8%) in children. The yearly average was 2,500 cases, with a trend toward an increase in the incidence rate in 2018 and 2019 and a decline in 2020. Children under 5 years old represented 38.2% of cases, 5.2% were indigenous, and 424 children (1.4%) died. Sputum culture was performed for 18.4% of pulmonary TB. The incidence rates were higher in municipalities in the north and midwest regions, with high occurrence locations (hot spots), especially on borders with other countries. There was a reduction in childhood TB in 2020, possibly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategies are needed for the identification and monitoring of childhood TB, with reinforcement of professional training for assistance and control, especially in the most vulnerable locations and groups.