MMWR: Outbreak of Multidrug - Resistant Tuberculosis at a Hospital - New York City, 1991.

---

This report summarizes an epidemiologic investigation of TB by hospital infection control, infectious disease, and employee services staff at a New York hospital. It presents information on 32 inpatients, diagnosed during January 1991 to March 1992 with multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium TB (MDR-TB). Of this group, 91 percent died; all were seropositive for HIV. The report also includes information provided by 21 health care workers (HCWs) regularly assigned to the HIV inpatient unit. The HCWs observed that the MDR-TB patients frequently left their rooms to visit other patients, meet visitors, or walk to the day room. Doors to patient rooms in the HIV ward were left open on many occasions. The report findings emphasize the need to fully implement CDC guidelines for preventing TB transmission in health care settings, and to educate clinicians to consider TB in any HIV-infected patients with fever and respiratory symptoms.

Author:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Audiences:

Physicians

Topic:

Hospitals