A 3-year-old asymptomatic child lives in a household where the father has sputum-positive pulmonary tuberculosis. Chest radiograph, tuberculin skin test and symptom screening show no evidence of disease. Under NTEP recommendations, the appropriate intervention for the child is:

• A No treatment, only annual chest radiography for 2 years
• B Full 6-month HRZE treatment regimen
• C Rifampicin monotherapy for 4 months
• D Isoniazid preventive therapy daily for 6 months ✓

Explanation

Household contacts under 6 years of a sputum-positive case are eligible for isoniazid preventive therapy, given as about 10 mg/kg daily (maximum 300 mg) for 6 months, after active TB has been excluded. Rifampicin monotherapy is not a recommended regimen in India, and full HRZE would be overtreatment in a child with no evidence of disease. Follow-up alone misses the window when latent infection is easiest to eliminate.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.