Tuberculosis in the Healthcare Environment

Tuberculosis in the Healthcare Environment Program provides employees with the latest information on the tuberculosis threat, the infection hazards they may encounter in their job and the steps they can take to avoid them. At one time doctors thought they had almost stamped out tuberculosis as a serious health concern in the U.S., but the disease had an alarming resurgence in the 1980s. It is currently one of the most common infectious diseases in the world, and kills more than a million people every year. Healthcare employees are on the front lines in the fight against TB. They also have a significant risk of exposure to the disease. The program includes information on the resurgence of tuberculosis, how TB spreads and guidelines for fighting it, TB risks in healthcare environments, medical surveillance, engineering controls, wearing a respirator, working with and treating active TB, and more.