Infection
Control and Prevention
Infection
Control Principles and Practices for Local Public Health Agencies
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Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Local
public health agency employees usually do not see cases of suspected or
known TB in their facilities. However, if someone who states he/she has
TB presents to a LHD for services, how should staff manage that person?
The
person should be asked to don a surgical mask immediately and be
escorted out of the facility for referral to a health care facility able
to provide appropriate infection control measures for TB patients. If
the client is not able to leave right away, he/she should be taken to a
private room until arrangements for departure can be made. Staff
entering the private room should wear respiratory protection (NIOSH
approved fit-tested N95 filtering face piece or PAPR). The client may
remove the mask once he or she is outdoors.
Once
the room is empty, it should remain unoccupied with the door closed for
a period of time to allow the air to clear of infectious particles. The CDC Guidelines for
Preventing Transmission of TB (table
1) (exit
DHS) specifies the amount of clearance time required based on the
number of air exchanges that occur in the room per hour .
Contact
your building maintenance staff if you do not already know the air
exchange rate of the room.
For Infection Control Information
Gwen Borlaug Infection Control Epidemiologist
WI Division of Public Health
Bureau of Communicable Diseases
608-267-7711 Phone
608-261-4976 Fax
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Last Revised: June 29, 2011 |
