Comparison of international guidelines on the control and prevention of tuberculosis

Within the last two yrs a number of countries and organisations have published guidelines on the control of tuberculosis. Though all guidelines have the same principals of disease control, namely the identification and treatment of patients with disease, the screening of individuals at high risk and the giving of preventive therapy to selected individuals with latent tuberculosis infection and the protection of the remainder of the population, they differ in the detail of how this may best be achieved. This article attempts to compare the differences and find the way through to the best practice.