Screening children for tuberculosis based on residence in a high-prevalence inner-city community.

In January 1994, the Committee on Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published detailed guidelines on tuberculin skin testing of children. These guidelines required mandatory screening of all children residing in high-prevalence communities. In February 1996, the AAP published updated and revised guidelines that allowed for targeted screening of such children based on epidemiologic risk of acquiring tuberculosis. We report on an assessment of the effectiveness of mandatory screening for tuberculosis in a high prevalence community.