Table 1.
Characteristics of Students and Staff Screened for Latent and Active Tuberculosis Under the Zero TB Kids Project at Tibetan Schools in Himachal Pradesh State, India, 2017–2018
| Characteristics | All Participants (N = 6177) | Students (n = 5391) | Staff (n = 786) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y, median (IQR) | 14 (10–17) | 13 (10–16) | 40 (33–48) |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 3172 (51.4) | 2700 (50.1) | 472 (60.0) |
| Male | 3005 (48.7) | 2691 (49.9) | 314 (40.0) |
| Occupation | |||
| Student | 5391 (87.3) | 5391 (100) | … |
| Teacher | 393 (6.4) | … | 393 (6.4) |
| Housemother | 107 (1.7) | … | 107 (1.7) |
| Office staff | 81 (1.3) | … | 81 (1.3) |
| Cook | 41 (0.7) | … | 41 (0.7) |
| Other staff | 164 (2.7) | … | 164 (2.7) |
| Place of birth | |||
| India | 4946 (80.1) | 4414 (81.9) | 532 (67.7) |
| Tibet | 776 (12.6) | 531 (9.9) | 245 (31.2) |
| Nepal | 422 (6.8) | 414 (7.7) | 8 (1.0) |
| Bhutan | 25 (0.4) | 24 (0.5) | 1 (0.1) |
| Other | 8 (0.1) | 8 (0.2) | 0 (0.0) |
| Ethnicity | |||
| Tibetan | 5790 (93.8) | 5020 (93.1) | 770 (98.0) |
| Indian | 94 (1.5) | 80 (1.5) | 14 (1.8) |
| Himalayan origina | 292 (4.7) | 290 (5.4) | 2 (0.3) |
| Weight, kg, median (IQR) | 45.5 (32–56) | 42.6 (31–53) | 65 (57–74) |
| History of previous TB treatment | |||
| Previously treated for TB | 274 (4.4) | 135 (2.5) | 139 (17.7) |
| Previously treated for MDR-TB | 6/275 (2.2) | 3/135 (2.2) | 3/139 (2.2) |
| Exposure to TB case in past 2 y | 1685 (27.3) | 1601 (29.7) | 84 (10.7) |
| Exposure to drug-susceptible TB | 1286 (20.8) | 1229 (22.8) | 57 (7.3) |
| Exposure to MDR-TBb | 108 (1.8) | 105 (2.0) | 3 (0.4) |
| Drug susceptibility status unknown | 291 (4.7) | 267 (5.0) | 24 (3.1) |
| Received BCG vaccinec | |||
| Yes | 5855 (94.8) | 5159 (95.7) | 696 (88.6) |
| No | 309 (5) | 224 (4.2) | 85 (10.8) |
| Unknown | 13 (0.2) | 8 (0.2) | 5 (0.6) |
| Coexisting medical conditions | |||
| Asthma | 24 (0.4) | 15 (0.3) | 9 (1.2) |
| Seizure disorder | 23 (0.4) | 22 (0.4) | 1 (1.1) |
| Chronic hepatitis B | 128 (2.1) | 88 (1.6) | 40 (5.1) |
| Hypertension | 40 (0.7) | 0 (0) | 40 (5.1) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 8 (0.1) | 1 (0.0) | 7 (0.9) |
| Acid peptic disease | 36 (0.6) | 20 (0.4) | 16 (2.0) |
| Other conditions | 17 (0.3) | 13 (0.2) | 4 (0.5) |
Data are presented as no. (%) unless otherwise indicated.
Abbreviations: BCG, Bacille Calmette-Guérin; IQR, interquartile range; MDR-TB, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; TB, tuberculosis.
aIncludes non-Tibetan students from the Ladakh, Kinnaur, and Lahaul areas of India and Nepal.
bHistory of MDR-TB in last 5 years. School nurse/parent contacted for confirmation when a child responded positive to contact with drug-resistant TB. Pleural TB successfully treated with first-line antituberculosis therapy with no drug susceptibility test result was considered drug susceptible.
cBCG vaccine status (left arm scar) checked only for people born in Tibet. Persons born outside Tibet were assumed to have received BCG at birth under their national immunization program.