Background: Globally, the burden of tuberculosis is estimated to be highest in India. As per Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) India 2011 Report, 44,357 smear-positive cases were diagnosed among all age groups in Karnataka State, and Udupi reported 8% of pediatric cases in all new cases. Tuberculosis often goes undiagnosed in children; the success of tuberculosis control depends on early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, which is the epidemiological basis of the global plan to stop tuberculosis. Considering these aspects, this study was undertaken.
Objective: To find out the prevalence of chest symptomatic in children below 15 years and to study the health-care seeking behavior of caregivers.
Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in the rural areas of Udupi Taluk, Karnataka, India. A two-stage cluster sampling technique was adopted to conduct this study. The caregivers of children below 15 years of age were interviewed for the collection of data. Chest symptomatic was considered as the children having persistent fever with cough more than 2 weeks in the last 3 months.
Result: Prevalence of chest symptomatic was 0.64%, and 93.5% of caregivers had consulted health-care facility for treatment of their children. A total of 98.7% of children were vaccinated with Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) vaccine, whereas 1.29% of children were not vaccinated with BCG vaccine.
Conclusion: Community awareness and strengthening of RNTCP for early detection and treatment of chest symptoms among children may contribute in reducing the burden of childhood tuberculosis.
Key words: Chest symptomatic, childhood tuberculosis, health-care seeking behavior
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