Nosocomial Infection of Tuberculosis

In the midst of increasing outbreaks of tuberculosis (TB) in recent years, the increase of TB infection within medical facilities has also been concerned. Among recent reported cases of TB outbreaks, 20% are related to medical facilities. One recent observation indicates that the TB case rate of female nurse is almost twice as high as that of the average female population. The main cause for this is that while the proportion of the health staff that have never been previously infected with TB is on the increase, the risk of developing the disease among the mid-aged or elderly patients that they contact with is still persistent. Other factors may include; the delay in diagnosing TB, the relative increase in TB patients with serious disease at onset, and the increase in medical procedures inducing coughing. In addition, it has to be pointed out that there has not been more attention paid to this problem in Japan. A research team of the Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare has recently announced the guidelines for its prevention in 2001. We have much to learn from the experience of the US where attempts have been made to address this issue much earlier.