This involves taking a course of tablets, usually for 6 months. Non-adherence to prescribed treatment causes drug resistant strains of TB to emerge. This is a strain of TB that does not respond to conventional anti-tuberculosis drugs. It is, however, a significant problem in the USA and in developing countries. Notification of Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is a notifiable disease.
Notification enables public health authorities to trace, examine and follow up contacts.
It is essential for keeping the disease under control, and for the compilation of national statistics and epidemiological data. A doctor who diagnoses active tuberculosis has a statutory obligation to notify the Department of Human Services. A laboratory which isolates M. tuberculosis from a biological specimen is also under statutory obligation to notify Human Services.