Cases of drug-resistant TB have increased dramatically
in recent years particularly in South Africa, which has one
of the highest burdens of drug-resistant TB worldwide
[12]. Patients with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and
extensively drug-resistant (XDR- TB) have been admitted
to hospitals for extended periods of time, placing HCWs
and other patients at risk of infection with drug-resistant
TB due to prolonged exposure [9]. A recent study in
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa found that among patients
admitted to a drug-resistant TB referral hospital, those
who self-identified as a HCW had a five-fold greater incidence
of drug-resistant TB than patients not identified as
HCWs [13].