|
|
Tuberculosis Section
Revised Tuberculosis (TB) Statute on Confinement
On March 24, 2005 the Georgia Assembly passed SB 56
, which amended Chapter 14 of Title 31,
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to involuntary confinement of patients for tuberculosis treatment who
are non-adherent to prescribed TB treatment. On May 10, 2005
Governor Perdue signed the bill into law that took effect on July 1, 2005.
Georgia ranks 6th in the U.S. in TB case rates, and the rate of decline in Georgia is slowing. This legislation will
help sustain and intensify current TB treatment programs, which will help Public Health attain its goal of TB elimination
in the southeast.
Confinement of TB patients is a measure of last resort. Less restrictive measures are always exhausted first before
seeking court-ordered confinement. The legislation protects both the patient and the public, especially vulnerable
sectors of the population such as children and persons with HIV, from serious consequences of patients who do not
complete their TB treatment. Failure to complete treatment could result in the spread TB and possibly drug-resistant
TB in the community.
The legislation removes the term
"contagious TB" and replaces it with "active TB". The change in terms will permit persons
diagnosed with TB to be confined, when necessary, if they refuse to adhere to a recommended treatment regimen.
CDC recommends a minimum of 6 months to 1 year to treat active TB
and 1 to 2 years to treat multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB). This legislation enables Public Health to confine
a TB patient who is persistently non-adherent to county boards of health treatment regimens for up to 2 years
in order to complete a full course of TB treatment.
|
|
|
