Tuberculosis comeback: impact on long-term care facilities

1. The number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in the United States has ceased to decline and is rising in some areas of the country. This means that the likelihood of having a long-term care patient with TB is greater. 2. To handle patients with TB, the epidemiology, transmission, pathogenesis, infectiousness, and treatment of tuberculosis must be understood. 3. The CDC has broken down the prevention and control activities into four categories: surveillance, containment, assessment, and education. Education is an integral part of the whole program. The education of both staff and patients should begin with an assessment of their knowledge of TB so that old, erroneous beliefs can be corrected and current knowledge imparted. Only then will we be able to improve understanding and cooperation, and ultimately ensure success in our TB control efforts.