Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that is spread from person to person through the air. TB usually affects the lungs. The germs are put into the air when a person with TB of the lung coughs, sneezes, laughs or sings. TB can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys or the spine.

Tuberculosis is spread from person to person through the air. TB germs are put into the air when someone with pulmonary TB disease (TB in their lungs) coughs, speaks, or sings. A person who breathes in the bacteria can become infected. The TB germs settle in the lungs, grow and can move throughout the body through the blood.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the 13^th leading cause of death in the world.

In 2021, 10.6 million people around the world became sick with TB disease, and 1.6 million TB-related deaths. A total of 7,860 TB cases (a rate of 2.4 cases per 100,000 persons) were reported in the United States in 2021. There are also approximately 13 million people living with latent TB infection.

Anyone can get TB, but some people are at higher risk. Those at higher risk include:

• People who share the same breathing space (such as family members, friends, co-workers) with someone who has TB disease
• Low-income groups with poor access to health care, including homeless people
• Foreign-born people from countries where a lot of people have TB
• People who live in high-risk residential settings, such as nursing homes, homeless shelters, or correctional facilities
• Health care workers who serve high-risk clients
• People who inject illegal drugs
• People with medical conditions such as diabetes, certain types of cancers, and being underweight
• People with HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS)

People with TB disease are sick from germs that are active in their body. They usually have one or more of the symptoms of TB. These people are often capable of giving the infection to others. Permanent body damage and death can result from the disease. Medicines which can cure TB are prescribed for these people. People with TB infection (without disease) have the germ that causes TB in their body. They are not sick because the germ lies inactive in their body.  They cannot spread the germ to others. Medicine is often prescribed for these people to prevent them from developing TB disease.

People with TB disease are sick from germs that are active in their body. They usually have one or more of the symptoms of TB. These people are often capable of giving the infection to others. Permanent body damage and death can result from the disease. Medicines which can cure TB are prescribed for these people. People with TB infection (without disease) have the germ that causes TB in their body. They are not sick because the germ lies inactive in their body.  They cannot spread the germ to others. Medicine is often prescribed for these people to prevent them from developing TB disease.

You can get a TB skin test or blood test from your doctor. DOH-Orange only performs TB testing for contacts to TB cases.

For the Quantiferon Test (the blood draw TB test), a needle is inserted into a vein to collect a small sample of blood into a specimen tube, which is sent off to a laboratory for processing. Results are usually reported to your doctor’s office or local health department with 48-72 hours. Depending on which blood test you are given, your results may be positive, negative, borderline, indeterminate, or invalid. Your doctor will review your test results with you to determine whether you have or have not been infected with the TB germ, or if you need to be re-tested.

 When a skin test is done a small needle is used to put some testing material, called tuberculin, just under the skin. This is usually done on the inside of the arm. The person getting the test must return in 48 to 72 hours to see if there is a reaction to the test. If there is a reaction, the size of the reaction is measured.

A negative test usually means the person is not infected. However, the test may be falsely negative in a person who has been recently infected. It usually takes 2 to 10 weeks after exposure to a person with TB disease for the skin test to react positive. The test may also be falsely negative if the person’s immune system is not working properly.

A positive reaction usually means that the person has been infected with the TB germ. It does not necessarily mean that the person has TB disease. Other tests, such as an x-ray or sputum sample are needed to see if the person has TB disease.

Get required follow-up tests. Follow your doctor’s advice and take the medicine as prescribed. Today, TB is easily prevented and cured with medication.