Written question asked by Paul Burstow (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 13 June 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 July 2003. It was answered by Melanie Johnson (Labour) on Monday, 14 July 2003 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance is available to the health service on the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis; and what monitoring systems are in place to ensure compliance with such guidance. - Inc ref to "The Prevention and control of Tuberculosis in the United Kingdom"

Answer: Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is available to the health service on the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis; and what monitoring systems are in place to ensure compliance with such guidance. [120080] Miss Melanie Johnson: The Interdepartmental Working Group on Tuberculosis publication entitled "The Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis in the United Kingdom": UK Guidance on the Prevention and Control of Transmission of 1. HIV-related tuberculosis 2. drug resistant tuberculosis (1998) provides information for the National Health Service on drug resistant and multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) and process of notification. All forms of TB are compulsorily notifiable by the physician making or suspecting the diagnosis under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. In addition, the Public Health Laboratory Service streamlined and improved its diagnostic services for TB, strengthened surveillance and monitoring of drug resistant TB, and,following the last of a series of five- yearly detailed surveys of notifications in 1998, introduced continuous enhanced surveillance in January 1999. From 2002, this enhanced surveillance has included monitoring of the outcome of treatment.

Secondary information