BACKGROUND: One of the measures adopted in Israel since 1959 as part of the @entity378 control program was screening @entity1 aged 12-13 years old. The screening comprised single-step tuberculin skin testing using the Mantoux method. OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of tuberculin skin screening for @entity1906 in schoolchildren in southwestern Israel as well as the compliance to treatment for @entity9178 . METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of @entity1 in the Ashkelon region who underwent a tuberculin skin test during the period 1995-99. RESULTS: Of the 28,016 eligible @entity1 , 27,232 were tested. In 923 @entity1 , mostly from the former USSR and Ethiopia, an induration of 10 mm or more was found. Only 52 Israeli-born @entity1 tested positive. @entity378 was found in seven @entity1 with a positive test, five of whom were from Ethiopia. All @entity1 who tested positive were referred to the local @entity1906 clinic; only 266 @entity1 (28.8%) presented. Only 151 completed the recommended treatment of isoniazid for 6 months. Thus, although screening included most of the targeted @entity1 aged 13, only a third of them presented to a @entity1906 clinic, and of these only about half completed treatment for @entity281 . CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the current policy of screening for latent @entity1906 in our region is ineffective in terms of implementation of the recommended treatment. We suggest that only high risk groups be screened, and that a concerted effort be made to implement treatment.

Compliance to treatment of XXXX in a region of Israel.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['children'] @entity9178 :: ('MESH:D055985', 'Disease') :: ['latent tuberculosis infection'] @entity281 :: ('MESH:D007239', 'Disease') :: ['latent infection'] @entity1906 :: ('MESH:D014390', 'Disease') :: ['TB'] @entity378 :: ('MESH:D014376', 'Disease') :: ['Tuberculosis', 'tuberculosis']
@entity9178 :: (MESH:D055985,Disease) :: ['latent tuberculosis infection']
