TB is a notifiable disease. This means your doctor is required to report the fact that you have TB to the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS). This is done so that careful monitoring and surveillance of TB infections can be undertaken. Not only does this provide information about prevalence of infections, the people they affect and the areas in which they occur, but it also enables the people who plan health care services to develop services where they are needed. Usually the TB nurse will attempt to trace any potential contacts to determine whether it is likely you may have passed the infection on.
If you are diagnosed as having active TB, your doctor will need to ask a number of questions. These questions are designed to find out certain facts:
• Where you were exposed to the TB bacteria; • How many people may have been exposed at the same time as you; • How many people you may have transmitted TB to; • Whether it was at home, at work or both places.
The answers to these questions will be extremely important in determining the extent of any possible outbreak of TB. It is important for you, your family members, work colleagues or friends that you answer these questions honestly. The risks of you transmitting TB to others may not be as great as you think. For you to transmit TB to another person usually requires close personal contact for an extended period of time, such as at work or at home.
Your close family members, work colleagues and friends will need to be tested for TB infection or disease. You should remain isolated from them while you are undergoing the first stages of diagnosis and treatment. In some cases this can be achieved by hospitalising you in a negative pressure room.
