Q: My 4.5-year-old daughter is very prone to illness. I took her for a check-up, and her blood report showed leucocyte (17000), platelets (4.5) and Mantoux positive. The doctor prescribed anti-tubercular drugs? Is she on the right treatment?

A:Children have a higher total leucocyte count which reaches normal at 5-10 years of age. The platelet count is within normal range. The Mantoux test could be positive due to BCG vaccination as well as latent infection with TB or environmental mycobacteria. You have not mentioned the result of the chest X-ray or the exact result of the Mantoux test. In case of doubt about the diagnosis, a re-evaluation by another child specialist along with relevant investigations (maybe Quantiferon TB gold IT test) may be helpful.