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Guideline

Tuberculosis

Read time: 1 mins
Last updated:11th Sep 2019
Status: Live
Tuberculosis - The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)


This guideline covers preventing, identifying and managing latent and active tuberculosis (TB) in children, young people and adults. It aims to improve ways of finding people who have TB in the community and recommends that everyone under 65 with latent TB should be treated. It describes how TB services should be organised, including the role of the TB control board.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a curable infectious disease caused by a type of bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis ('M. tuberculosis' or 'M.Tb'), or other bacterium in the M. tuberculosis complex (that is, M. bovis or M. africanum). It is spread by droplets containing the bacteria being coughed out by someone with infectious TB, and then being inhaled by other people.

- Fluoroquinolone antibiotics: In September 2019, we updated this guideline to reflect MHRA restrictions and precautions for the use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics following rare reports of disabling and potentially long-lasting or irreversible side effects (see Drug Safety Update and update information for details).

 

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