Rarely, a person with a soft tissue tuberculosis infection may spread organisms through aerosols from drainage at their infected site. Workers in front line positions involved in patient contact may encounter tuberculosis among individuals who hav e not yet been diagnosed. Personnel with outpatient contact should be aware of this problem. Laboratory personnel who handle the organism, M. tuberculosis , may also be at risk. An ongoing employee tuberculin screening program is available to monitor healthcare workers who may be at risk of becoming occupationally infected with tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis control involves a hierarchy of interventions.
Administrative Controls Adminstrative controls include the education of staff and development of policies and practices for the rapid identification and isolation of individuals suspect of having tuberculosis. To Prevent Tuberculosis Exposures 1. Rapid identification, isolation of the patient and initiation of treatment is the best way to control tuberculosis and prevent its spread. Professional staff should be aware of the presence of a cough in patients. Any patient complaining of a cough should be questioned regarding symptoms and risk factors for tuberculosis.