12.2.5 Patients with sputum smear-positive PTB

In many NTPs, sputum smear-positive PTB patients spend at least part, and often all, of the intensive phase of anti-TB treatment in hospital. Isolation of these patients in TB wards helps reduce the risk of TB exposure to other patients. Do not admit a patient to the TB ward until you have made the diagnosis of TB. A TB suspect with HIV infection and high susceptibility to TB should avoid exposure to TB. He may not turn out to have TB.