Tuberculosis Situation in Pediatric Population of the Russian Federation upon the End of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The objective: to evaluate tuberculosis situation in the Russian Federation among children aged 0-17 years based on the analysis of key epidemiological rates from official statistics for 2023. Subjects and Methods. Information from official statistical surveillance forms was studied, and the rates describing tuberculosis situation were calculated. Results. In 2023, tuberculosis incidence stabilized in the Russian Federation: among children aged 0-14 years, it made 6.7, and among adolescents aged 15-17 years, it made 12.7 per 100,000 children of the corresponding age. The proportion of foreign citizens among those aged 0-17 years who developed the disease made 2.2%, which was insignificantly different from previous years. In 2023 for the first time, no cases of tuberculosis among children and adolescents were registered in penal institutions. Tuberculosis mortality among persons aged 0-17 from reached a historic low (2023 – 0.01 per 100,000). The proportion of HIV co-infection among new tuberculosis patients aged 0-17 years decreased to 1.0% (2% in 2022). The problem of multiple drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) remains significant – 50% of new patients aged 0-17 years received treatment with MDR TB chemotherapy regimens. The number of children subjects to dispensary follow-up due to exposure to tuberculosis patients increased to 595.1 per 100,000 children, while numbers decreased in the risk groups of Children Newly Detected with Residual Post-Tuberculosis Changes and Children with Abnormal Reactions to Immunodiagnostic Tests. The tasks of etiological confirmation of tuberculosis diagnosis and development of preventive treatment regimens for children exposed to MDR TB remain relevant.