Infection control in late pregnancy and the puerperium
Pulmonary TB is potentially infectious, particularly when the index case has sputum that is smear positive for the bacilli on microscopy. These women can be rendered non-infectious by 2 weeks of treatment which include rifampicin and isoniazid.36,37 If admitted to hospital, the decision about isolation depends on the initial assessment of infectivity, the possibility of multiple-drug resistance and the immune status of the individual.36 Women with suspected or confirmed MDR-TB should be admitted to a negative-pressure ventilation room.36,37 Control of infection in healthcare settings among patients and healthcare workers is the responsibility of infection control teams.38 When admitted to the hospital, responsibility of care should be shared by the multidisciplinary team and in no case should treatment be delayed because of infection control issues.3 Tuberculosis is a notifiable disease and the clinician in charge of the patient is responsible for notification to the consultant in communicable disease control. If the woman is later found to be negative they can be denotified.39
If TB is diagnosed postnatally, with the mother being sputum positive for acid-fast bacilli within the 2 weeks following delivery, there is a potential risk of transmission of the disease to the newborn. Infants with a mother who has had less than 2 weeks of treatment and who is sputum positive for acid-fast bacilli should be given prophylactic isoniazid (5 mg/kg) and pyridoxine (vitamin B6) (5–14 mg/kg)20 and have a tuberculin test at 6–12 weeks. If this is negative then a bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) can be given and the chemoprophylaxis stopped. If the tuberculin test is positive then extended treatment should be given for a total of 6 months.20 The BCG vaccine is not recommended for the babies of mothers who are HIV-positive until they have been shown to be HIV-negative. Contact tracing and screening involves all close family members or other individuals who have had close contact and is done by history, examination, tuberculin testing and chest X-ray. Contacts who are ill should be thoroughly investigated for TB.
In an adult contact, if the tuberculin test is positive and they are immunocompromised or they have HIV infection and have not had a BCG, chemoprophylaxis with isoniazid is given. In children, a positive tuberculin test is suggestive of infection and treatment is given. A negative tuberculin test is repeated in 6 weeks and if it is still negative then a BCG is given; if it turns positive it suggests active infection and this needs treatment.