Description

Thursday, September 19, 2024 | Tuberculosis Contact Investigation: Principles and Practice 

Speaker: Dr Elizabeth Rea, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Tuberculosis Program Toronto Public Health 

The recently updated Canadian TB Standards, 8th Edition, emphasize the importance of thoughtful risk-based prioritization for contact investigation, using an iterative approach. This presentation will review the principles of TB contact investigation, including transmission risk assessment, prioritizing follow-up based on the source case’s likely infectiousness, the nature of the exposure(s), and factors that increase immunologic vulnerability of exposed individuals to TB disease. The usefulness and limitations of using a structured tool to support risk-based contact investigation will also be discussed. Case studies of TB contact investigations will be presented, applying the principles of contact investigation, and exploring practice-based implementation experiences and lessons learned, from the perspective of a local public health unit. 

Learning Objectives 

• Identify when a TB contact investigation is indicated 
• Describe the key factors informing a prioritized approach to the initial TB contact investigation 
• List the criteria for being considered a “highest priority contact” in a TB contact investigation, as per the Canadian Tuberculosis Standards, 8th Edition 
• Discuss practical considerations and approaches for TB contact investigations in at least two settings 

About the Speaker: 

Dr Elizabeth Rea, MD, MSc, FRCPC, has been the Associate Medical Officer of Health with the Tuberculosis program at Toronto Public Health, since 2005. She is the lead author of the contacts and outbreaks chapter of the 2022 Canadian TB Standards; past Chair of the national advocacy group Stop TB Canada, and an adjunct professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She has been involved in TB policy issues for many years. Her research interests include TB epidemiology and operational research in TB programs.

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