Tuberculosis (TB) contact tracing and TB preventive treatment are key tools in preventing the transmission of TB with the aim of eliminating the disease. Our study seeks to demonstrate how the infection spread from an individual patient to the entire community and how proactive contact tracing facilitated prompt diagnosis and treatment. Our work was conducted as a retrospective analysis of the spread of TB infection within the Roma community in the Czech Republic, following the case of an index patient who succumbed to pulmonary TB. Several levels of care and preventive and treatment measures are outlined. Confirming the identity of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain was achieved using molecular methods. Among the 39 individuals examined, TB disease was detected in eight patients and TB infection was detected in six patients. The investigation of contacts within this group yielded positive results in 36% of cases, necessitating treatment. The study's findings provide evidence that actively tracing individuals at risk can lead to early detection of cases, prompt treatment, and prevention of further disease transmission. The study also indicates that the highest risk of infection occurs within the sick person's household and that young children under the age of 5 are most susceptible to falling ill.

• Keywords
• BCG vaccination, Roma community, TB diagnostics, TB preventive therapy, contact tracing, public health, tuberculosis,
• MeSH
• Latent Tuberculosis * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Tuberculosis, Pulmonary * epidemiology   MeSH
• Child, Preschool MeSH
• Retrospective Studies MeSH
• Roma * MeSH
• Contact Tracing methods   MeSH
• Tuberculosis * diagnosis   epidemiology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Child, Preschool MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic epidemiology   MeSH

BACKGROUND: The socioeconomic and ethnic composition of urban neighbourhoods may affect mortality, but evidence on Central European cities is lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between socioeconomic and ethnic neighbourhood indicators and the mortality of individuals aged 20-64 years old in the two biggest cities of the Slovak Republic. METHODS: We obtained data on the characteristics of neighbourhoods and districts (educational level, unemployment, income and share of Roma) and on individual mortality of residents aged 20-64 years old, for the two largest cities in the Slovak Republic (Bratislava and Kosice) in the period 2003-2005. We performed multilevel Poisson regression analyses adjusted for age and gender on the individual (mortality), neighbourhood (education level and share of Roma in population) and district levels (unemployment and income). RESULTS: The proportions of Roma and of low-educated residents were associated with mortality at the neighbourhood level in both cities. Mutually adjusted, only the association with the proportion of Roma remained in the model (risk ratio 1.02; 95 % confidence interval 1.01-1.04). The area indicators - high education, income and unemployment - were not associated with mortality. CONCLUSION: The proportion of Roma is associated with early mortality in the two biggest cities in the Slovak Republic.

• MeSH
• Residence Characteristics statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Healthcare Disparities ethnology   statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Mortality ethnology   MeSH
• Risk Factors MeSH
• Roma statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Socioeconomic Factors * MeSH
• Cities epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH
• Multilevel Analysis MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Slovakia epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH
• Cities epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH

OBJECTIVES: To compare the morbidity of 66 Roma and 466 non-Roma children born and living in a diffused type of habitation in the district of Teplice. METHODS: For each child, a complete list of illnesses that pediatricians recorded using ICD-10 codes for all physician visits and/or hospitalizations was obtained. RESULTS: At the age 0-2 years the Roma/non-Roma rate ratios (RR) of the incidence of influenza (RR 1.6), otitis media (RR 2.3), intestinal infectious diseases (RR 1.7) and viral illnesses (RR 6.3) were statistically associated with ethnicity. The higher incidence of bronchitis (RR 1.7) and pneumonia (RR 2.2) in the Roma children was associated with the low education of mothers and not with ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: At the age of 0-2 years the incidence of influenza, otitis media, intestinal infectious diseases and of viral diseases was significantly higher in Roma than in non-Roma children and was not associated with education of mothers. There was no increase in the morbidity of Roma children over the non-Roma children at the age of 2-6 years. The prevalence of allergies in Roma children was extremely low.

• MeSH
• Health Status Disparities * MeSH
• Child MeSH
• Incidence MeSH
• Communicable Diseases epidemiology   MeSH
• Infant MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Follow-Up Studies MeSH
• Infant, Newborn MeSH
• Child, Preschool MeSH
• Roma * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Child MeSH
• Infant MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Infant, Newborn MeSH
• Child, Preschool MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Comparative Study MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic epidemiology   MeSH