The examination of tuberculosis contacts: the current situations and perspective in Japan
Ahiko, T.
Kekkaku 70(1): 67-72
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-9776 PMID: 7884992 Document Number: 453381
Contacts of active tuberculosis cases are the most easily identified high-risk group for tuberculosis in Japan. Thus, examination of the contacts is one of the most useful methods for finding persons with disease or with infection. The purpose of this study is to analyze recent problems in the examination. Program assessment and evaluation for the contact examination were administered by a mail questionnaire to 74 Health Centers (HCs) in Tohoku District. The response rate was 100%. The Service Report of Activities of HCs (1992) was also utilized as the basic data for estimating statistical indices concerning contact examination. Results obtained are as follows: 1. At a rough estimate, the number of persons who underwent the contact examination accounted for 1.6 per newly diagnosed cases with tuberculosis in Japan. This index remarkably varied according to the region, e.g., maximum was 6.6 in Okinawa and minimum was 0.9 in Yamaguchi. The contacts had a high incidence rate (0.65%) with active tuberculosis. This rate was twenty-five times higher than that by periodic mass X-ray examinations. 2. In Tohoku District, only 17 HCs (23%) carried out the examination fitting "guidelines" that had been published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Results from the program assessment suggested that HCs should give priority of the examination to the contacts because they were risky. The risk of manifestation is mainly influenced by bacteriological severity of source cases. 3. Main planners of the examination were public health nurses.