Guidance

Tuberculosis (TB) contact tracing guidance

Operational guidance for UKHSA Health Protection Teams (HPTs).

• From: UK Health Security Agency
• Published: 6 October 2026

Documents

Summary of TB contact tracing guidance

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Background to TB contact tracing guidance

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Public health management of case and close contacts for TB

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Appendix 1: Factors that increase vulnerability to TB disease

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Appendix 2: Investigations for TB Disease (Active TB)

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Appendix 3: Algorithm for decision making for initiation of public health TB contact investigation

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Appendix 4: Algorithm for contact tracing process

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Appendix 5: Indicative timescales for contact tracing process in HPTs

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References to TB guidance

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Details

This document provides practical, operational guidance for HPTs undertaking risk assessments, identification, and prioritisation of contacts for contact tracing. It provides guidance for the public health management of TB in settings beyond the initial household and close contacts following the notification of a person with infectious TB who may have attended a in a range of workplace, community and healthcare settings while infectious.

This guidance supersedes 2016 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) NG33 Guidance for the management of Tuberculosis (TB), which had limited guidance on wider public health actions in incidents and outbreaks outside of the household. This has been deprioritised by NICE to update for specific aspects of TB including public health and is expected to be withdrawn.