Outbreak of tuberculosis in a Catalonian nursery school affects 27 children

Abstract

On 15 April 2005, a female assistant at a private school in a wealthy area of Barcelona province was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis at the emergency department of a hospital.

BCG protects toddlers during a tuberculosis outbreak

“…We believe that the data from our recent outbreak suggest that any such transition should be undertaken with caution. Two very similar outbreaks involving large numbers of vulnerable children occurred in Western Europe prior to that reported here7 8 and other outbreaks are likely in the future, particularly as migration from TB endemic areas of Europe and the developing world is increasingly facilitated. Additionally, the protective effect of BCG demonstrated here adds to the evidence supporting widespread BCG vaccination in developing countries with high TB prevalence.…”

"What we learn in time of pestilence..."

“…Practices applied to individual patients are often not feasible when dealing with a large population in a short time frame. The outbreak described here is the third European outbreak of tuberculosis in a child population reported in the last decade 29 30. Taken much more broadly, it is one of a much larger number of outbreaks affecting paediatric patients in recent years in Europe (table 2).…”