You can find more information about TB by calling your local health department, or on the DSHS Tuberculosis Elimination Division website.

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.

This and other statistical information regarding TB may be obtained by calling the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, TB Epidemiology Division, at 303-692-2638.

A simple, painless skin test is used to screen for tuberculosis. This test is offered free of charge by the Health Department. Should the test be positive, you may have a chest X-ray to see if there are any abnormalities in the lungs.

You may obtain TB/PPD testing from your own healthcare provider or you may visit Children's Hospital’s Employee Health department during drop-in hours for free testing. You do not need an appointment to come in during these times: Remember to bring your Volunteer Health Clearance form when you come for your appointment. Each TB/PPD test is a two-step process and requires two short visits 48 hours apart, so plan your schedule accordingly.

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 part-time teacher at a church-run pre-school so have been extensively tested and screened for both security and health, to include a criminal background check and recent TB test. I am also happy to provide personal and professional references as necessary.

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.

A 2-step TB test gives a more accurate baseline reading if a person has been in contact with active TB or had a BCG vaccination in the remote past. A person needs only one 2-step mantoux. Thereafter a single mantoux should be accurate if the person is healthy.

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a disease caused by a germ (called the tubercle bacterium or Mycobacterium tuberculosis). TB usually affects the lungs, but can affect other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes (glands), the bones and (rarely) the brain. Infection with the TB germ may not develop into TB disease.

Tuberculosis is not a hereditary disease. It is an infectious disease. Any person can get afflicted with TB. Whenever, a patient having active tuberculosis coughs or sneezes in an open manner, bacteria causing TB come out in the aerosol. This aerosol can infect any person who happens to inhale it.

The disease of TB spreads whenever, patients cough or sneeze without covering their faces or spit here and there. Hence, patients should always cover their faces while coughing or sneezing. One should not spit here and there and always use spittoon for coughing. At home also, patients should spit in a box which is covered by a lid. Before disposing off the sputum, it should be boiled. It is very important not to get scared or to hide the disease whenever someone develops the symptoms of TB.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a communicable disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. The bacterium usually attacks the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can attack almost any part of the body (extra-pulmonary TB) such as bones, joints, nervous system, and urinary track. TB was once known as the "White-plaque" and historically was the leading cause of death in the United States.

In accordance with State law, Health Services has initiated a program to prevent Tuberculosis transmission. In conjunction with the local Health Department and the State of Kansas, Health Services requires that all "at risk" students provide documentation of TB clearance either by Chest X-Ray or ppd testing done in the United States. Those "at-risk" students (see definition below) who do not provide such clearance will be required to have TB testing done on arrival to campus.

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.