The person with a positive TB skin test who has no signs or symptoms of TB cannot give the TB germ to anyone else. The positive TB skin test indicates only that the person may have been exposed to the TB germ. It does not mean that they have TB disease. The Health Department is notified about all persons suspected of having or diagnosed with active TB disease which can be passed on to another person.

A positive TB test means that someone has been exposed to the TB germ and follow up evaluation is needed. Once a positive TB test has been confirmed to be truly positive, there is no point in having repeat TB tests in the future. They will not hurt you, or cause disease, but will always continue to be positive. BCG vaccine (Bacille Calmette-Guerin) used in countries where TB is endemic, can decrease the severity of TB in children but will not prevent TB infection.

The TB skin test uses a small amount of purified protein derivative (PPD), which is a substance that your body’s immune system will respond to by creating a bump at the skin test site when you have TB.

A small amount of PPD is injected with a small needle just under the skin on the forearm. This area of the arm is checked 2-3 days after the injection to see if a bump develops. A nurse or physician needs to measure the size of the bump to see if you have a positive skin test. A positive skin test does NOT mean that a person has active TB, but usually means that a person has been exposed to TB at some point in the past. The skin test may be repeated twice in some groups (e.g.

A positive skin test means that the germ that causes TB has caused an infection in your body. About 25,000 of the 250,000 people in Santa Cruz County have a positive skin test. You will need to get another test, a chest X-ray, to see if you are one of the 20 people out the 25,000 whose infection is advanced and who has TB disease. Only the few who have TB disease are contagious to others, and with treatment they can be cured and not spread the disease.

A positive TB test is red & raised. This 'induration' varies from person to person, depending on exposure history, country of birth, and BCG history. Usually anything over 10 mm induration is considered positive, although 5 mm may also be considered positive in some circumstances, eg. immune suppressed persons or close contact with infectious TB.

No. Their medical history is probably entirely different from yours. Unless there is a definite active case in the classroom & there has been contact, there is no need to be tested.

A positive skin test means that a person has been exposed to TB germs sometime during his life. It does not indicate that a person has TB or is contagious. The skin test should be examined (or read) 48-72 hours after it is administered. It is acceptable to read the skin test up to 96 hours after administration if it is not possible to do it earlier. After 96 hours, a skin test of less than 10 mm of induration should be repeated. A skin test of 10 mm or more is positive at any time.

No. The tuberculosis and Valley Fever skin tests do not cross react. The presence of tuberculosis will not cause a positive cocci skin test nor will the presence of Valley Fever cause a positive tuberculin test.

You will need to obtain a chest x-ray and be evaluated to determine if you have active Tuberculosis. Chest xrays will be provided at no cost; referral will then be made to your private health care provider or to a health department clinic.

The RISE Clinic, located at 14 Third Street in Providence, is a tuberculosis specialty clinic sponsored by the Rhode Island Department of Health and is part of The Miriam Hospital system. RISE Clinic staff members are experienced in TB care and know how to safely evaluate and treat people with TB. The clinic works to eliminate the chances that these patients will ever get ill from TB or be able to pass TB on to others. All care including tests (e.g. x-rays) and treatments (e.g.

The TB skin test can be falsely negative (e.g., show no reaction) in students who may have been infected recently (in the past several weeks). The TB germ grows slowly and your body’s immune system takes time to react to it. Therefore, when screening students who have been recently exposed to a person with active TB, you need to repeat the TB skin test 10 weeks later to be sure that you have not been infected with TB.

When a student is transferring within the district, the parent/guardian should ask the school nurse. They will be asked to fill out a records request, and then the nurse can print out the needed information. Administrative Assistants and School Secretaries also have the ability to print these records. For a student who has graduated from or left the district, a request needs to be made to the Student Records department located on Hillcrest Drive next to West High School.