Need For Family Contact Survey In Tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis can survive or a long time in darkness, away from sunlight.Those persons who stay indoors for prolonged periods with a patient of pulmonary TB are most likely to get infected.

A patient of tuberculosis is likely to have infected some of his own family members prior to reporting to you.

Of those infected, some may develop the disease.

Only sputum smear positive patients are likely to spread infection. Those patients who do not expectorate the bacilli in their sputum, will not spread the infection to their family members.

A family contact survey is necessary only when the patient’s sputum smear is positive for acid fast bacilli.

In case of a child, it is necessary to survey the family to see who may have infected the child. A well taken history and corroborative symptoms usually identify the adult.

He or she may then be investigated in some detail.

All contacts living at home.  should be surveyed. The survey should include all the elderly members of the household, as also, all the domestic workers who stay with the family.

There is no need to do a family contact survey of a smear negative patient.