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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Diagnosing Pulmonary Tuberculosis with the Xpert MTB/RIF Test
Published on: April 9, 2012
First national tuberculin survey in Nepal
K B Shrestha1, P Malla, K K Jha
1National Tuberculosis Centre, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Setting:
The size of the tuberculosis (TB) problem in Nepal is unknown, as no national tuberculin or TB prevalence survey has yet been performed.
Objective:
To assess the prevalence of TB infection and the annual risk of TB infection (ARTI) in primary schoolchildren in the three ecological zones (mountains, hills and terai) and Kathmandu valley.
Design:
A representative sample of primary schoolchildren were tuberculin skin tested using the Mantoux method. The data were analysed using cut-off levels to define infection and by the mirror method.
Results:
Of 19577 children registered, 17260 (88.2%) were available for analysis. Seventy-eight per cent had a visible bacille Calmette-Guérin scar. The best estimate of the prevalence of TB infection was 7.0% (95%CI 4.2-9.7), with an ARTI of 0.86% (95%CI 0.49-1.23) using the mirror method, with a mode at 16 mm. Although the ARTI was higher in Kathmandu and the mountains compared to the hills and terai, the difference between the areas was not significant.
Conclusion:
The ARTI in Nepal is lower than previous estimates, indicating a decrease in transmission or overestimation of previous estimates. To obtain information about the trend of the ARTI in Nepal, the survey needs to be repeated in 5 to 7 years.
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