U.S. Tuberculosis Cases Rising Steadily
Tuberculosis cases in the United States have been rising steadily after a rapid decline during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now at a twelve-year high. Healthcare organizations need to evaluate trends in their local area to ensure that employee screening policies are current and effective.
Med Page Today reports that 34 states saw increases in TB cases in 2024. Physicians and healthcare organizations should ensure patients with TB/respiratory symptoms are appropriately screened for risk factors such as exposure and international travel. The increased prevalence of infectious disease may also necessitate a reevaluation of procedures for screening healthcare personnel.
According to the CDC’s Clinical Testing Guidance for Tuberculosis: Health Care Personnel, “Annual TB testing is not recommended unless there is a known exposure or ongoing transmission.”
The CDC further states, “CDC recommendations do not override or replace state regulations. State and local regulations may differ to meet local needs.”
Refer to local guidance as needed.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your assigned risk manager for further assistance or call the Medical Mutual Risk department directly at 1-800-942-2791.
This article falls under Clinical/Patient Safety in the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) risk domains.
Risks associated with the delivery of care to patients, residents and other health care customers. Clinical risks include failure to follow evidence-based practice, medication errors, hospital acquired conditions (HAC), serious safety events (SSE), health care equity, opportunities to improve safety within the care environments, and others.