Australia has one of the lowest rates of TB in the world, and multidrug-resistant TB has not emerged as a problem here.
Children are also much less likely to transmit infection than adults.
The primary strategy for TB control is to stop transmission by timely diagnosis and curative treatment of infectious patients. The next priority, especially in children, is to identify by Mantoux testing those infected and to initiate preventive therapy where appropriate. Screening of at-risk groups and contact tracing of cases are important for both these strategies. It is also important that the skills and resources for diagnosing and curing TB are available to health care providers serving those at risk, such as general practitioners working in high risk migrant communities, Aboriginal medical services and regional chest clinics or public health units. In this issue of the Journal, the Consensus Statement 5 on strategies for TB control in children in Australia from two paediatric special interest groups recommends Mantoux screening of immigrant children from high prevalence countries.