EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF TUBERCULOSIS IN CHILDREN AGED 0 TO 9 YEARS IN BRAZIL BETWEEN 2014 AND 2024

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Although it affects all age groups, children aged 0 to 9 years are particularly vulnerable due to immunological immaturity, which favors progression to extrapulmonary forms of the disease. Aiming to prevent severe forms of TB, especially in infants, the BCG vaccine is recommended by the Ministry of Health for children aged 0 to 4 years. However, BCG vaccination coverage in Brazil has fluctuated, remaining below the 90% target between 2019 and 2023. To analyze the epidemiological profile of TB cases in children aged 0 to 9 years in Brazil between 2014 and 2024. This is a descriptive epidemiological study. Data were collected using the Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN), analyzing the following variables: region, year, age group, race, disease form, directly observed therapy (DOT) performed, treatment outcome, and vaccination coverage. Between 2014 and 2024, 17,745 cases were reported in children aged 0 to 9 years. From 2014 to 2019, the total number of confirmed cases increased continuously, rising from 1.61% to 1.84% of all cases. Between 2020 and 2021, during the period of social isolation, a decrease in reported cases was observed, reaching 1.47% and 1.49%, respectively. The Southeast region accounted for 41.71% of cases, followed by the Northeast region with 26.98%. The highest number of cases occurred among children aged 1 to 4 years, corresponding to 38.07%. Individuals self-identified as mixed race accounted for 49.63% of cases, followed by white individuals (26.83%). Regarding disease form, 71.11% of cases were extrapulmonary, followed by pulmonary TB (24.06%). DOT was implemented in 31.5% of cases, while 32.7% did not receive supervised treatment. Regarding disease outcome, 67.7% progressed to cure; however, 8.1% abandoned treatment and 9% had no recorded treatment outcome. Deaths due to TB accounted for 2% of cases, and deaths from other causes accounted for 2.2%. National BCG vaccination coverage declined from 107.28% in 2014 to 90.09% in 2022. Factors such as declining vaccination coverage and inadequate disease control in adults may be associated with increased risk of childhood TB, highlighting the urgency of regional strategies to strengthen immunization and improve case detection and treatment.