When should a child with pneumonia be assessed for tuberculosis (TB)?

A child with pneumonia should be assessed for tuberculosis (TB) particularly if they have been coughing for more than 14 days. More persistent coughs are a key symptom when evaluating for TB because they often indicate a chronic condition. While a cough lasting longer than 7 days is significant and may warrant further investigation, the threshold is raised to 14 days in the context of diagnosing TB. This is due to the nature of TB, which is a chronic infection and typically presents with a prolonged cough as one of its primary symptoms.

Additionally, in areas where TB is endemic or in populations at higher risk, it becomes even more critical to carry out a thorough assessment after a cough persists for this duration. Other symptoms and risk factors can assist in the evaluation process, but the duration of the cough is a central indicator for making this assessment.