Tuberculosis Information for Emergencies and Disasters
The Importance of TB Treatment
It is very important that people who have tuberculosis (TB) disease are treated, take the drugs exactly as prescribed, and finish the medicine. If they stop taking the drugs too soon, they can become sick again. If they do not take the drugs correctly, the TB bacteria that are still alive may become resistant to those drugs. TB that is resistant to drugs is harder and more expensive to treat.
TB Program Preparedness
Mass evacuations and damage caused by major emergencies or disasters can make efforts to help TB patients continue their treatment very difficult. TB programs’ work ensures that people who are receiving treatment for TB disease are able to continue their treatment, even if they are displaced temporarily or permanently by an emergency or disaster.
Ensuring continuity of TB treatment during emergencies and disasters should be included as part of public health emergency preparedness planning. In the event of an emergency or disaster, TB programs should:
- Make sure contact information for patients is current, and staff can reach patients if they decided to evacuate to another location.
- Provide to patients contact numbers of TB program personnel.
- Consider providing additional medication if patients are likely to be relocated, or if health department operations are likely to be affected.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)
- Tuberculosis Control Activities After Hurricane Katrina — New Orleans, Louisiana, 2005
- Integrated Preparedness for Continuity of Tuberculosis Care After Hurricanes Gustav and Ike: Louisiana and Texas, 2008
- Tuberculosis Control Activities Before and After Hurricane Sandy — Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States, 2012
Additional Resources
- State TB Control Offices
- CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response
- TB Guidance for Hurricane Workers and Evacuees: Identifying Persons in Your Evacuation Center Who May Have TB
- Infection Control After a Disaster
- Infection Control Recommendations for Prevention of Transmission of Respiratory Illnesses in Disaster Evacuation Centers
- Infection Control Guidance for Community Evacuation Centers Following Disasters
- Treatment for TB Disease
- National Tuberculosis Controllers Association
- Page last reviewed: October 2, 2017
- Page last updated: October 2, 2017
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