Raising tuberculosis awareness in the primary care environment

While tuberculosis may no longer be a leading cause of death in the UK, it is still a global health concern. Sue Silvester, Gail Beckett and Sharwend Supermanian describe how it is investigated, diagnosed and treated and its implications in primary care Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection that can cause disease in any part of the body; it is infectious when there is pulmonary involvement. World TB Day is on 24 March every year – it is a day to raise awareness and focus our minds on the ultimate aim of TB eradication. To achieve this aim it is essential for all health professionals to understand the disease processes – how TB is acquired, transmitted, diagnosed and treated (in order to execute effective prevention and control strategies) – as well as their role in supporting specialist TB teams.