Journal article

Tuberculosis screening for children and adolescents < 15 years seeking asylum in Germany. Statement of the working group for AWMF guideline on tuberculosis in childhood and adolescence: diagnostics, prevention, and treatment, under the leadership of The German Society for Paediatric Infectiology

Nicole Ritz, Folke Brinkmann, Cornelia Feiterna-Sperling, Barbara Hauer, Walter Haas



Children and adolescents seeking asylum are at increased risk of infection with tuberculosis (TB) due to potential exposure in their country of origin, during their journey and accomodation in shared facilities. According to the German Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, persons who are to be accepted into community facilities for asylum seekers must present a medical certificate confirming that they have no evidence of infectious pulmonary TB. However, symptom or chest x-ray based screening is less sensitive and less specific for pulmonary TB in children and adolescents compared to adults. In addition a more cautious approach to using ionising radiation in this age gro..

View full abstract