AERAS [to 7 May 2016]
http://www.aeras.org/pressreleases

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May 4 , 2016
Healthcare Workers Face Up To Six Times the Risk of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis as General Population
Editor’s note: these studies are being released in the May 15 print edition of a special supplement to the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases titled “Healthcare Workers and Tuberculosis Prevention”. The full supplement is free to view.

New research suggests urgent action needed to combat tuberculosis among healthcare workers in poorer countries
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ROCKVILLE, Md., USA Globally, healthcare workers face three times the risk of contracting tuberculosis as the general population, and the risks of multidrug-resistant disease is higher still: up to six times higher for healthcare workers in South Africa, according to new reports that are part of a healthcare worker-focused supplement in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. Up to one-third of affected healthcare workers die of this airborne disease.

Study authors reported that risks are compounded by the lack of an effective vaccine and facilitated by neglect of basic infection control measures such as adequate ventilation. Furthermore, young, vulnerable healthcare workers often fail to appreciate the risks they face. Therefore, health workers who are crucial to ending the epidemic frequently become both victims and transmitters of the disease.

“A person dies every 21 seconds from tuberculosis, some of whom are frontline caregivers,” said Thomas G. Evans, co-editor of the special supplement of articles and formerly Chief Scientific Officer at Aeras, a nonprofit, global biotech organization developing new tuberculosis vaccines. “Ending the epidemic requires resources, political will, and innovation, starting with protection of our health workforce.” …