TUBERCULOSIS IN SWITZERLAND 1996 - PREVEN TION AND TREATMENT

Tuberculosis is currently a rare disease in Switzerland and its incide nce is slowly decreasing. Nevertheless, the increase in the proportion of foreign-born patients, the occurrence of multidrug-resistant bacil li and the increase of tuberculosis in HIV-infected individuals give r ise to concern and have prompted changes in the management of the dise ase. The first aim is to cure the patients with adequate chemotherapy in order to prevent relapses and the development of drug-resistant ger ms. The best way to do so is to provide directly supervised treatment, particularly in cases where compliance with the treatment may be unce rtain. Tuberculosis is transmissible to sensitive individuals. Therefo re, some preventive measures are still indicated in settings where pat ients with a known or unknown bacillary form of tuberculosis may be ca red for.