Surveillance for Tuberculosis (TB) Infection in Health Care Workers
CDC recommends periodic tuberculin skin testing of health care workers with a potential for exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, many health care facilities (e.g., hospitals, correctional facilities, long-term care facilities, and health departments) do not have a system for identifying and tracking workers due for tuberculin skin testing or a means of analyzing aggregate data. To facilitate surveillance for TB infection in health care workers in health departments, CDC undertook several studies designed to examine rates of skin test conversions in health care workers. The most comprehensive of these was a study initiated in 1995 called StaffTRAK–TB. The study included more than 13,000 health care workers. Data from this study are used to track, analyze, and report information pertaining to tuberculin skin testing surveillance in health care workers.
For further information, contact
Surveillance and Epidemiology Branch
Division of Tuberculosis Elimination
National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention
1600 Clifton Road, NE, MS–E10
Atlanta, GA 30333
Telephone: 404–639–8117
www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/
