# Academic children’s hospital partnership with public health to address mass pediatric community tuberculosis exposure

## TL;DR

A hospital and public health team worked together to quickly respond to a large TB exposure at a daycare, protecting young children at high risk.

## Contribution

A new model for rapid TB response using a dedicated clinic and interdisciplinary collaboration is presented.

## Key findings

- A TB Exposure Clinic evaluated 162 children for window prophylaxis within two days.
- The partnership minimized disruption to healthcare systems while providing comprehensive care.
- Young children under five were prioritized due to their high risk of severe TB.

## Abstract

To illustrate how a partnership between an academic medical center and a public health department successfully responded to a large tuberculosis (TB) exposure at a community daycare center.

A multidisciplinary team rapidly established a dedicated TB Exposure Clinic to evaluate and screen exposed children requiring window prophylaxis.

The exposure affected 592 individuals, including 359 children under five—those at highest risk for severe disease.

Given the vulnerability of young children to TB infection, timely evaluation and initiation of window prophylaxis were prioritized.

Over two days, 162 children were assessed for TB window prophylaxis, and 110 additional children underwent TB screening.

By leveraging clinical expertise, interdisciplinary collaboration, and informatics infrastructure, the TB Exposure Clinic delivered rapid, comprehensive care while minimizing disruption to local healthcare systems. This model underscores the essential role of academic medical centers in supporting public health responses.