What is contact tracing and screening?
We aim to protect the health of anyone who might have been in close and prolonged contact with the person who has been diagnosed with TB. For this reason, we try to identify (trace) those who might be most at risk and test (screen) them. We will contact them direct and offer them an appointment to test them for exposure to TB. They might also be offered a chest X-ray and sputum test. Usually, we can find out quite quickly whether they are at risk of TB. If they are infected, we can offer them effective treatments. The chances of that individual being infected are very low but this is an important and effective public health measure to control TB in the community.
