INTRODUCTION: The risk of tuberculosis in health-care workers has brought growing concerns to society and researchers from developed countries. In Brazil there is still a gap between epidemiological knowledge and know-how in this field. This problem requires a more detailed investigation to give support and to provide better application to occupational safety and health regulations, such as the Regulatory Act called "NR-32". METHODS: Using Sao Paulo Tuberculosis Program database "EPI-TB" and calculating the Standardized Incidence Ratio, the authors estimated nursing personnel risks. The reference for the study was the population in the city of Sao Paulo in the year 2004. Employers' profiles are described according to health-care facility status, based upon the state of Sao Paulo Nursing Council - Coren's database. RESULTS: Approximately 90% of cases registered by the EPI-TB notification instrument had their occupation validated by Coren's database. The 20-29 age interval showed an increased risk among nurses when compared to the reference population. Among 15 to19 year-old nurses'aides there was also an increase of risk. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing personnel may be considered as a nosocomial tuberculosis index category, and monitoring nosocomial TB seems to be feasible since changes are provided in the notification instrument of this disease. The study has tackled possible implications of articulated actions between different institutional actors on prevention and control of tuberculosis, and it discusses ways to overcome current anachronisms in Health Surveillance practices.
tuberculosis; surveillance of the workers health; health surveillance of health services; nursery
