Ariz. Admin. Code § R9-6-396 - Tuberculosis

A. Case control measures:

1. Except as provided in subsection (A)(2), a diagnosing or treating health care provider or an administrator of a health care institution, either personally or through a representative, shall isolate and institute airborne precautions for:

a. An individual with infectious active tuberculosis within the diagnosing or treating health care provider's or administrator's health care institution until:

i. At least three successive sputum smears collected at least eight hours apart, at least one of which is taken first thing in the morning as soon as possible after the individual awakens from sleep, are negative for acid-fast bacilli;

b.ii. Anti-tuberculosis treatment is initiated with multiple antibiotics; and

c.iii. Clinical signs and symptoms of active tuberculosis are improved;

b. A suspect case of infectious active tuberculosis within the diagnosing or treating health care provider's or administrator's health care institution until:

i. At least two successive tests for tuberculosis, using a product and methodology approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use when making decisions whether to discontinue isolation and airborne precautions, for the suspect case are negative; or

ii. At least three successive sputum smears collected from the suspect case as specified in subsection (A)(1)(a)(i) are negative for acid-fast bacilli, anti-tuberculosis treatment of the suspect case is initiated with multiple antibiotics, and clinical signs and symptoms of active tuberculosis are improved; and

c. A case or suspect case of multi-drug resistant active tuberculosis within the diagnosing or treating health care provider's or administrator's health care institution until a tuberculosis control officer has approved the release of the case or suspect case.

2. A tuberculosis control officer may approve the release of a case or suspect case even if the release criteria in subsection (A)(1)(a) or (b), as applicable, are not satisfied.

2.3. An administrator of a health care institution, either personally or through a representative, shall notify a local health agency at least one working day before discharging a tuberculosis case or suspect case.

3.4. A local health agency shall:

a. Upon receiving a report under R9-6-202 of a tuberculosis case or suspect case, notify the Department within one working day after receiving the report and provide to the Department the information contained in the report;

b. Exclude an individual with infectious active tuberculosis or a suspect case from working, unless the individual's work setting has been approved by a tuberculosis control officer, until the individual with infectious active tuberculosis or suspect case is released from airborne precautions;

b.c. Conduct an epidemiologic investigation of each reported tuberculosis case, suspect case, or latent infection in a child five years of age or younger;

c.d. For each tuberculosis case or suspect case, submit to the Department, as specified in Table 2.4, the information required under R9-6-206(D);

e. In consultation with the Department, ensure that an isolate or a specimen, as available, from each tuberculosis case is submitted to the Arizona State Laboratory; and

e.f. Comply with the requirements specified in R9-6-1202.

B. Contact control measures:

1. A contact of an individual with infectious active tuberculosis shall allow a local health agency to evaluate the contact's tuberculosis status.

2. A local health agency shall comply with the tuberculosis contact control measures specified in R9-6-1202.

C. An individual is not a tuberculosis case if the individual has a positive result from an approved test for tuberculosis but does not have clinical signs or symptoms of disease.

Notes

Ariz. Admin. Code § R9-6-396

Adopted and renumbered from R9-6-392 by final rulemaking at 23 A.A.R. 2608, effective 1/1/2018. Renumbered and amended from R9-6-386 by final rulemaking at 31 A.A.R. 1319, effective 6/2/2025.