Guidelines, publications and position statements

The Strategic Plan for Control of Tuberculosis in Australia 2016-2020

The Strategic Plan sets out the challenges, priorities and actions for TB control in Australia.

Position statement on interferon-γ release assays for the detection of latent tuberculosis infection (2017)

These recommendations supersede all previous NTAC statements on interferon-γ release assays.

National Tuberculosis Advisory Committee Guideline: Management of Tuberculosis Risk in Healthcare Workers in Australia (2017)

This document aims to describe the components that are considered essential for all healthcare facilities in Australia to minimise the risk of nosocomial transmission of TB from health care workers (HCWs). Each facility should develop its own policy for the management of TB risk in HCWs according to this jurisdictional policy and the facility specific factors that determine risk.

National position statement for the management of latent tuberculosis infection (2017)

This paper concludes that the diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection represents an important opportunity for intervention by jurisdictional TB control programs.

Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2014 (2017)

In 2014, the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System received 1,339 tuberculosis (TB) notifications, representing a rate of 5.7 per 100,000 population. Whilst Australia has achieved excellent and sustained control of TB in Australia, sustained effort is still required to reduce rates further and contribute to the achievement of the World Health Organization’s goal to end the global TB epidemic by 2035.

Infection control guidelines for the management of patients with suspected or confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis in heathcare settings (2016)

These guidelines provide recommendations for heathcare workers to manage patients who are confirmed or suspected of having pulmonary tuberculosis.

Defining a tuberculosis cluster or outbreak (2016)

This paper reviews approaches to determine when transmission of tuberculosis has occurred, and offers standardised Australian policy for classification of possible transmission events, including ‘clusters’ and ‘outbreaks’.

Policy recommendation: latent tuberculosis infection screening and treatment in children in immigration detention (2015)

This paper provides recommendations on the policy for screening children in immigration detention centres for tuberculosis.

Essential Components of a Tuberculosis Control Program within Australia (2014)

In Australia tuberculosis (TB) control is managed, operationally, through state and territory-based programs, rather than a national program as seen in most other countries. The TB Control Programs in each jurisdiction are quite different in structure and operate as a consequence of the history of their development as well as social, political and demographic circumstances specific to the jurisdictions. However, each jurisdiction and the National Tuberculosis Advisory Committee (NTAC) agree on key components of a TB program.

The BCG vaccine: information and recommendations for use in Australia (2013)

The BCG vaccine: information and recommendations for use in Australia (March 2006) has been updated to incorporate the most recent trends in annual national tuberculosis (TB) surveillance data. Australia continues to meet international epidemiological criteria that limit Bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG) vaccination to selected high risk groups in countries with a low incidence of TB. No significant change has been made to existing recommendations for BCG vaccination in Australia.

Position Statement on Interferon-γ Release Immunoassays in the Detection of Latent Tuberculosis Infection (2012)

This document is a general guide to the appropriate use of IGRAs in the detection of latent TB infection.

National Tuberculosis Advisory Committee multi-drug resistant tuberculosis Information Paper (2007)

This document provides information on multi-drug resistance TB in Australia.

Guidelines for Australian Mycobacteriology Laboratories (2006)

These guidelines include safety recommendations based largely on the Australian/New Zealand Standard 2243.3 Safety in laboratories – Microbiological aspects and containment facilities. However, these standards have been rationalised and PC2 facilities with additional processes and precautions in place are recommended for the majority of TB investigations.

CDNA National Guidelines for the Public Health Management of TB

The TB Guideline (one of the Series of National Guidelines - SoNGs) provides guidance to public health units in responding to a notification of TB. The document outlines a national standard for contact tracing.