Screening children for tuberculosis based on residence in a high-prevalence inner-city community

In January 1994, the Committee on Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published detailed guidelines on tuberculin skin testing of children. 1 These guidelines required mandatory screening of all children residing in high-prevalence communities. In February 1996, the AAP published updated and revised guidelines that allowed for targeted screening of such children based on epidemiologic risk of acquiring tuberculosis. 2 We report on an assessment of the effectiveness of mandatory screening for tuberculosis in a high prevalence community.