Abstract:

Objective To assess the implementation status of routine tuberculosis prevention and control measures and tuberculosis screening for newly enrolled students in schools of Gansu province. Methods Using a combination of stratified random sampling and typical sampling, according to the reported incidence of tuberculosis in the whole population of each city (state) in Gansu Province in 2019, the 14 cities (states) were divided into three groups (high, medium, and low tuberculosis incidence group) using tertiles; In each group, one city (state) was randomly selected within which 8 junior high schools, 4 high schools, and 2 universities were selected by the typical sampling method. A total of 42 schools were selected in the whole province to fill in the school tuberculosis prevention and control work questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was done for illustrating basic information of the school, status of students being absent from school due to illness, implementation of morning check-ups, students being suspended from school for tuberculosis and returning to school afterwards, etc. Linear trend test was used to analyze the trend of tuberculosis screening for newly enrolled students in school and tuberculosis physical examination methods. For all statistical tests, α=0.05. Results In 2020, 90.5% (38/42) schools included the prevention and control of tuberculosis in their school’s annual work plan, 95.2% (40/42) schools deployed focal point for reporting tuberculosis cases, and 88.1% (37/42) schools deployed health technicians/health teachers. In 2020, both senior and junior high schools had carried out morning check-ups, and 97.6% (41/42) of schools registered students’ absences due to illness and traced causes of disease. In 2020, the tuberculosis detection rate of the physical examination for newly enrolled students was 10.6 per 100000, and 28.6% (12/42) of the schools had students who had been suspended from/returned to school due to tuberculosis. Conclusion The prevention and control measures of tuberculosis in schools in Gansu Province have been implemented well, and the prevention and control work has achieved ideal results.

Key words: Tuberculosis pulmonary, Students, Incidence, Epidemiological study, Questionnaires, Gansu Province