Abstract

Background:  Tuberculosis is re-emerging in the form of drug resistant causing deaths of humans throughout the world. In 2015, WHO estimates, this disease developed in 10.4 million and causes death in 1.8 million human population. Moreover, new challenges like TB/HIV co-infection, MDR-TB is resisting to the preventive measures for controlling TB worldwide.  Emergence of MDR-TB is becoming a global threat now. 

Objectives: To find out the frequency and associated factors of MDR-TB among children under 15 years of age in KPK province and FATA Pakistan.

Methods: Cross sectional and quantitative study design was applied. Data was collected from patient’s registration files (n = 100) at four (4) PMDT sites of National Tuberculosis control program Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and FATA.

Results: Children having previously history for TB treatment failure were found 4-9 times more probable (95% CI,  Odds Ratio 4.08,8.864) to develop MDR-TB while 64-84% of other previously treated patient by private sectors are not likely to developed MDR-TB (95% CI, Odds Ratio 0.158,0.366) than all other types of previously treated cases. National TB control program Pakistan may be able to use these findings to develop strategic programs to address the treatment failure. 

Conclusion: The public and private health care providers need proper monitoring and surveillance, which may potentially improved the overall quality of health care services and assure the treatment of the resistant TB among children under 15 years of age in developing countries. We may then achieve the Millennium Development Goals of World Health Organization.