[Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in Children from 1968 til 1973 in Schleswig-Holstein (author's transl)].

In Schleswig-Holstein 271 children (131 boys, 140 girls) were treated for tuberculosis between january 1968 and June 1973; 84% were aged 5--14 years, 14% between 1--4 years and 29% between 0--1 year. Each year, nearly the same number of infections occurred in the various districts of the country. In 246 children a primary form of tuberculosis was diagnosed (in 11 cases with pleurisy). 11 patients tuberculous meningitis, 3 patients miliary tuberculosis and 5 patients another form of the disease, 18 of 271 patients (7%) had been vaccinated against tuberculosis as newborns; in 4 of these children tubercle bacilli could be isolated. BCG vaccination had been done 8--12 years before disease in 11 cases and 1--5 years before disease in 7 cases. None of these vaccinated children had a hematogenous tuberculosis or died. Of the non-vaccinated children two patients had meninogencephalitis and died. The other children were cured by chemotherapy, 12 children by additional surgery. The morbidity of tuberculosis in Schleswig-Holstein was 7--10 per 100000 children. Therefore, further BCG vaccination, chemoprophylaxis or preventive chemotherapy seems necessary. Early recognition of tuberculosis in old persons may be of practical value to prevent infections in children.