Tuberculosis control and occupational health services

Abstract

The W.H.O. (1982) estimates that the annual risk of infection with tuberculosis in most developing countries is in the order of 3 to 5%. Every year 4-million to 5-million highly infectious cases of tuberculosis occur in those countries, according to the WHO Technical Report No. 671. This report also states that case finding and chemotherapy, combined as one entity, must be considered to be the most powerful weapon in tuberculosis control. Since case finding in those countries depends principally on the examination of patients presenting with relevant symptoms to a health facility, it is recommended that all staff at such facilities should be properly trained and motivated to identify potential tuberculosis patients.