An investigation of household contacts of open cases of pulmonary tuberculosis amongst the Kikuyu in Kiambu, Kenya.

In economically under-developed countries in Africa the housing conditions, even in areas of low population density, can generally be described as overcrowded: also, they are usually poorly lighted and ill-ventilated. Malnutrition, especially protein lack, is quite common. It was considered important to assess the risk experienced under these circumstances by household contacts of sputum-positive tuberculosis patients.It was found that household contacts, especially of the younger age-groups, were infected five to ten times more frequently and experienced a prevalence of active pulmonary tuberculosis five to ten times greater than did the general population from which they derived.Examination of household contacts of tuberculosis patients as defined in this study revealed a further 15% of sputum-positive tuberculosis cases-a finding that underlines the importance of carrying out such a procedure as a routine measure.