Household Contact Investigation of Tuberculosis in Low-income and Middle-income Countries: Public-health Impact

A systematic review has shown that household contact investigation merited serious consideration as a means to improve tuberculosis control in low-income and middle-income countries with a high incidence of the disease. The pooled yield among all household contacts was 4·5% (4·3–4·8%, I2=95·5%) for all active tuberculosis, and 2·3% (2·1–2·5%, I2=96·6%) for confirmed active tuberculosis. Substantial heterogeneity exists across studies, possibly related to variations in source, environmental, or contact characteristics, screening methods, and diagnostic thresholds. Lancet Infect Dis. 2009;9(1):3-4.