Abstract

Contact tracing is an important means of identifying tuberculosis: in two recent surveys 10–14% of all new cases were discovered in this way.^{1, 2} All patients with tuberculosis must by law be notified to the local Medical Officer for Environmental Health, or in Scotland to the Chief Administrative Medical Officer.³ Notification enables the local medical services (usually the Chest Clinic) to trace and examine contacts, of whom about 3% have tuberculosis.¹ 70%–80% of contacts with disease are diagnosed at the initial visit.⁴