Prophylactic Effect of Isoniazid in Young Tuberculin Reactors

Abstract

THE effectiveness of isoniazid in preventing the complications of primary tuberculosis and in reducing the incidence of clinical disease among the contacts of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis has been demonstrated.^{1 2 3 4 5 6} In the United States Public Health Service chemoprophylaxis trials, the participants were randomly divided, with half receiving isoniazid and the other half placebo. There were 7 trials, covering a broad spectrum of differing situations, that clearly demonstrated the prophylactic usefulness of isoniazid.⁶ The San Francisco study, from January, 1958, to December, 1966, tested the effectiveness of isoniazid in preventing tuberculous morbidity in reactors, first discovered in a routine school . . .