Epidemiological investigation of a cluster of tuberculosis in a senior high school
Objective To investigate the treatment of tuberculosis epidemic in a middle school in Jinan City,so as to provide scientific evidence for formulating strategies and measures for tuberculosis prevention and control in schools.Methods The epidemiological investigation of the cluster of pulmonary tuberculosis in a senior high school on August 1,2022 was carried out by symptom inquiry,tuberculin skin test(TST)and chest X-ray examination.Results A total of 4 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis were confirmed in this outbreak,including 2 cases of pathogen-negative pulmo-nary tuberculosis and 2 cases of tuberculous pleurisy,which were distributed in the same class.The first round of screening included 64 close contacts,and the strong positive rate of TST test was 14.06%,and the expanded screening included 295 general contacts,and the strong positive rate of TST test was 3.05%,and the strong positive rates of the two rounds of screen-ing were statistically significant(P<0.001).Conclusions The delay in the treatment of the index cases and the lack of implementation of the school's routine prevention and control measures are important reasons for this cluster outbreak.It is suggested that the school should implement daily prevention and control measures in the future,increase tuberculosis health education for students,and carry out active tuberculosis screening for sophomore students when necessary.