In 2005, a report from the CDC stated that one of the most critical risks for healthcare-associated transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in health care settings occurs when patients with unrecognized TB disease who are not promptly handled with appropriate airborne precautions (or who are moved from an AII [airborne infection isolation] room too soon) unknowingly spread tubercule bacilli.9
These fundamentals of infection control have proven to substantially reduce healthcare-associated transmission of TB, including multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB:
- Use of standardized anti-tuberculosis treatment regimens in the initial phase of therapy
- Rapid drug susceptibility testing
- Directly observed therapy in which a health professional watches a patient swallow each dose of medication and records the date that the administration was observed
- Improved infection control practices, including adherence to droplet and airborne precautions
9.Jensen PA, Lambert LA, Iademarco MF, Ridzon R; CDC. Guidelines for preventing the transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in health-care settings, 2005. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2005;54(RR-17):1-141. Accessed November 8, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5417a1.htm
