Author(s)

Abdulmannan Mohamed Aman¹, Zeidan Abdu Zeidan^2*

¹Medical Centre of the Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia.
²Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction: Tuberculosis is a major health problem in developing countries including Sudan. Screening for TB cases through Household contacts (HHCs) investigation is an appropriate strategy to interrupt transmission of TB. Objectives: To determine the prevalence tuberculosis infection and risk factors for tuberculosis infection among household contacts in Wadimadani locality, Central State, Sudan, between November 2015 and April 2016. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study conducted. During study period, to confirm TB diagnosis, all suspect contacts were tested through sputum samples, tuberculin skin test or chest X-ray. Structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and environmental factors. Results: One hundred forty six patients of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis were included in the study, 657 household contacts were identified and screened. Forty three new TB cases were detected from household contacts, yielding a prevalence of 6.5% (95% confidence interval = 0.05, 0.09) of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Two factors were significantly associated with LTBI among HHCs: duration of contact with a TB patient ≤ 4 months (P = 0.03) and the educational status (P = 0.02). Conclusion: Screening of HHCs of index case of TB will contribute in early detection and treatment of new cases, and considered as a forward step towards eliminating TB.

Tuberculosis, Latent Tuberculosis Infection, Household Close Contact, Central State, Sudan, Prevalence, Risk Factors

Aman, A. and Zeidan, Z. (2017) Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Household Contacts of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Cases in Central State, Sudan: Prevalence and Associated Factors. Journal of Tuberculosis Research, 5, 265-275. doi: 10.4236/jtr.2017.54028.