(2) if she will issue new guidance to the NHS on diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in response to the emergence of extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis, and measures for its prevention and control, in March 2006.
The guideline includes specific recommendations on the treatment of all forms of drug resistant tuberculosis, recommendations on diagnosis for cases of suspected tuberculosis infection, and contact tracing for all diagnosed cases of tuberculosis. The NICE guideline also recommends that if a risk assessment suggests a patient has multiple drug resistant (MDR) TB, rapid diagnostic tests should be conducted for antibiotic resistance.
The NICE clinical guideline is available at:
http://www.nice.org.uk/paqe.aspx?o=297929