Pott’s disease in a two-year old: a consequence of failed contact tracing

Abstract

Tuberculosis of the spine (Pott’s disease) has the potential for causing severe disability if not identified and treated early. Tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) is the standard of care for under-fives who have been in contact with an infectious case of tuberculosis but do not have tuberculosis. We report the case of a 2 year old child whose mother was managed for tuberculosis but was not given TPT and went onto develop tuberculosis of the spine. She responded positively to antituberculosis therapy. CC –BY 4.0 We highlight the missed opportunity for TPT at various points of contact of this child with the health care system. We recommend the integration of services at primary health care level and the training/retraining of health care workers in TB care with specific emphasis on contact tracing/TPT. Health education for the general population on tuberculosis is also important.