Infection control of tuberculosis is a system of organizational, antiepidemic, and preventative measures aimed at prevention and lowering the probability of spreading mycobacteria of tuberculosis to healthy people, superinfection of people with tuberculosis in prevention and treatment institutions, and places of long-term stay and residence of persons with tuberculosis.
Preventive measures in Ukraine to avert the TB cases in Ukraine mainly lie in preventive examinations of people to detect persons with TB, as well as vaccination of children.
In 2014, photoradiography method was applied in 482.6 cases per 1000 of adult population (17,038,472), the method of tuberculin test was used to cover children aged 0-14 – 366.1 cases per 1,000 children’s population (2,185,220), prophylactic immunization was done to 64.9% of children up to 1 year of age and 22.9% of children aged 7 and over.
TB prevention by observing infection control measures shall be of priority for prevention and treatment institutions and places of long-term stay and residence of TB patients. In this context, not only medical institutions, but also other institutions working with persons from groups with high infection vulnerability are meant.
Each tuberculosis institution has a Plan of TB Infection Control, but not all plans are detailed enough. Sometimes the resources for its implementation, especially financial ones, are lacking.
Approximately in half of the tuberculosis institutions, delineation of areas with different risk level is provisional. The possibilities of molecular-genetic methods of TB diagnostics are not used fully for division of patient flows.
All tuberculosis institutions are equipped with open-type sterilizing lamps, but they can only be applied when there are no people around, which decreases their efficiency. As of 01.01.2015, the supply of screened UV lamps in the areas of high TB risk amounted to 56% (target value according to the Standard of TB Infection Control is minimum 90%).
Since 2014, the specialists of tuberculosis institution laboratories have been implementing the standards of operative procedures regarding safe working practices and emergencies.
Detection of patients with tuberculosis during periodic health examinations in Ukraine
Video “Tuberculosis infection control”
Video “Tuberculosis infection control” was created by Alliance-Ukraine with the assistance of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria within the program “Investments for influence on tuberculosis epidemics and HIV-infection”. The video is recommended for use by non-governmental organizations in their work