Children's tuberculosis cases rise in EU/EEA in 2023

In 2023, the number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in children and young adolescents under 15 increased in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA). A total of 1,689 cases were reported, which indicates a slight rise from 2022. Childhood TB is an important indicator of TB transmission in communities. The notification rate for pediatric TB increased from 2.0 to 2.5 cases per 100,000 people. Researchers analyzed data from 2015 to 2023 to understand the reasons behind this uptick. Between 2015 and 2023, there were 16,414 pediatric TB cases reported, averaging about 1,946 cases per year. The highest proportion of these cases occurred in children aged 1 to 4 years. While there was a significant drop in cases from 2019 to 2021, numbers began to increase again from 2021 to 2023. Seventeen EU/EEA countries reported at least a 5% increase in pediatric TB notifications. The data suggested that most infants were born in the country where they were diagnosed, while older children often had been born abroad. Drug-resistant pediatric TB cases were rare. The increase in pediatric TB in the EU/EEA coincides with rising TB reports in older age groups in Europe and other countries like the US, UK, and Canada. Researchers speculated that better diagnosis and changes in population movements may explain the rise, but no specific reasons were identified. Despite the increases, the overall number of pediatric TB cases remains low, highlighting the need for improved surveillance, timely contact tracing, and preventive actions to control TB transmission.