Occupational Tuberculosis

Details

• Personal Author:
  D'Andrea D ; Meyer, J. D.
• Description:
  Tuberculosis (TB), the "White Plague" of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, progressively declined with the introduction of public health measures at the turn of the century and then with the widespread use of antituberculous therapy in the 1940s and 1950s. This decline continued until the 1980s, when an upsurge in the incidence of TB in the United States coincided with the onset of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Relaxation of traditional public health measures aimed at the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis and alterations in social demographics-particularly increased immigration from endemic areas and a burgeoning homeless shelter and prison population-also contributed to the reversal of progress in TB control during this period. Coincident with the rise in tuberculosis incidence in the 1980s, the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB increased the risk of serious illness and death in those developing active tuberculosis. The number of new cases of tuberculosis continued to rise until the mid-I 990s, when renewed commitment of resources to public health with improvements in recognition and treatment of TB in high-risk individuals combined to decrease the incidence of active and latent tuberculosis. These trends increased the risk of tuberculosis among segments of the working population, particularly health care workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimated that over 5 million workers were exposed to TB in the course of their work, and while the incidence of tuberculosis continues to decline, health care workers remain at significant risk of exposure and possible infection. Health care has been the second fastest growing sector of the U.S. economy, employing over 12 million workers. The increase in workers with direct contact with infected individuals requires continued efforts to maintain effective measures to prevent tuberculosis, even as its overall incidence again declines in the United States. This chapter reviews the microbiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and epidemiology of tuberculosis, focusing on occupational exposure and surveillance measures to prevent tuberculosis infection among workers employed in health care and other high-risk jobs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Occupational Diseases Occupational Health Public Health Safety Tuberculosis
• Keywords:
  Health Care Workers Infection Prevention Infectious Diseases Occupational Diseases Public Health TB
• ISBN:
  9781883595456
• Publisher:
  OEM Press
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Book
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  187-201
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057726
• Citation:
  Couturier's occupational and environmental infectious diseases, 2nd edition. Wright WE ed. Beverly Farms, MA: OEM Press, 2008 Nov; :187-201
• Editor(s):
  Wright WE
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Performing Organization:
  University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Couturier's occupational and environmental infectious diseases, 2nd edition
• End Date:
  20090630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a72cae344ae1c2c6b83d92900b7ca5ac474f7f3a43be2084453edb00a86c2ea7d9f0d7132dbb72963cce83d26f4cf992360041841f2c677634726fbf4c5cdfb9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214974/cdc_214974_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.67 MB ]