[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 233 (Monday, December 6, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70457-70458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-26710]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Draft Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium 
tuberculosis in Health-care Settings, 2005

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to request public comment on 
draft Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium 
tuberculosis in Health-care Settings, 2005 (Guidelines). These 
Guidelines are available at the CDC Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/Federal_Register/default.htm as a pdf file. The Guidelines 
will be used by infection control staff, healthcare epidemiologists, 
healthcare administrators, facility managers, and other persons 
responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating infection-
control programs for healthcare settings across the continuum of 
patient care. These Guidelines update the CDC Guidelines for Preventing 
the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-care 
Facilities and were last published in 1994.
    The 2005 draft Guidelines reflect shifts in the epidemiology of 
tuberculosis, advances in scientific understanding, and changes in 
health-care practice that have occurred in the United States in the 
last decade.

DATES: Comments on the draft Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission 
of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-care Settings, 2005, must be 
received in writing on or before February 4, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the draft Guidelines should be labeled ``Public 
comment on Draft Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of 
Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-care Settings, 2005,'' and 
submitted by e-mail to [email protected]. Please include the 
specific section, paragraph, and page number for each comment. If 
unable to submit electronically, comments may be mailed to Public 
Comment on Draft Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of 
Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-care Settings 2005, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, 
1600 Clifton Road, NE., Mailstop E10, Atlanta, Georgia 30333. Comments 
may also be faxed to 404-929-2676.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lauren Lambert, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB 
Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE., Mailstop E10, Atlanta, Georgia 
30333. Telephone: (404) 639-8120. Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As stated above, the 2005 draft Guidelines 
reflect shifts in the epidemiology of tuberculosis, advances in 
scientific understanding, and changes in health-care practice that have 
occurred in the United States in the last decade. In the context of 
diminished risk of health-care-associated transmission of M. 
tuberculosis, the 2005 Draft Guidelines places emphasis on actions 
needed to maintain momentum and expertise needed to avert another 
resurgence of tuberculosis and to eliminate the lingering threat to 
healthcare workers, which is mainly from patients or others with 
unsuspected and undiagnosed infectious tuberculosis disease. Whereas 
previous Guidelines were aimed primarily at hospital-based facilities, 
the 2005 CDC Guidelines have been expanded to address a broader 
concept: health-care-associated settings go beyond the previously 
defined facilities.

[[Page 70458]]

CDC expects to publish final Guidelines in 2005.

    Dated: November 24, 2004.
James D. Seligman,
Associate Director for Program Services, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 04-26710 Filed 12-3-04; 8:45 am]
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