308 - Occupational Tuberculosis: It's Not Just for Healthcare Workers Anymore

Occupations recognized as at greatest risk for TB infections in workers include healthcare and corrections; other locations of concern were driven primarily from congregate living facilities, like agricultural worker living spaces and homeless shelters. Over the last 25 years CDC has tracked occupational TB information only through a reporting system that only queried those few occupations. With only ~200 cases of TB in HCP and < 5 in corrections workers, the vast majority of employed persons with TB worked in 'unknown' occupations. Outbreaks in congregate work settings, such as poultry and meat facilities, with high proportions of undocumented workers, are not systematically identified. Because of the undocumented status, many workers who begin treatment are lost to follow up. In the way healthcare and corrections workers underwent pre-placement/post hire TB testing for 20 years, other occupational health providers should consider testing at onboarding. The authors will present several outbreaks, the developed solutions, and propose a national mandate for pre-placement TB testing for industries with high proportions of non-US born workers.