Did you know that there is an infection that currently affects one fourth of the people on earth? That this infection caused over 10 million new cases of disease and almost 2 million deaths last year alone. What disease do you think we are talking about? HIV? Malaria?
Actually, we are talking Tuberculosis, a disease that many of us don’t know much about, but one that we need to take seriously.
When most people think about TB, they are probably thinking about TB disease; they probably picture someone who is very sick and has a bad cough. However in Massachusetts (and throughout the United States and the world) most people with TB have what is known as TB infection, which has no symptoms. Without the right testing, someone can have TB infection for years and not know it.
In this video, we are going to talk about TB infection. We’ll talk about testing and how TB is treated. We want to make sure you have the most accurate and updated information about TB for you, your family, and your community.
Tuberculosis – or TB – is caused by germs. TB often affects the lungs but it can affect almost any part of the body. If someone breathes in the TB germs, they may become infected with TB. If they get TB germs in their body but don’t get sick right away, they would have TB Infection. They will have no symptoms, will not be able to pass TB to others, and will feel perfectly healthy -- as long as their body can keep the TB germs from doing any harm.
However, if the person’s body is unable to control the TB germs for any reason – such as when someone has another medical condition like diabetes or HIV or if someone is taking certain medicines - the infection can grow into Tuberculosis disease. TB disease can cause symptoms such as coughing, losing weight, night sweats, fever, or feeling very tired.
Someone with Tuberculosis disease in the lungs can pass the germs to others through coughing, sneezing or even singing. If this happens, close people such as family, friends or co-workers may breathe the TB germs into their own body and get TB Infection.
You may be thinking, ‘isn’t there a vaccine for TB?’ You’re right, there is, and it’s called BCG. In fact, BCG is one of the most widely used vaccines in the world and it helps to protect babies and very young children from the worst form of childhood TB – which is TB in the brain. But it does not keep anyone from getting TB infection or from getting sick with TB disease later. Because there are other ways to protect babies and very young children from getting sick with TB, the BCG vaccine is not used in the US.
As we mentioned, someone with TB infection cannot pass TB to other people. They also have no symptoms, so many people with TB infection do not even know they have it.
Someone with TB disease however, usually has symptoms and, very often, can pass TB to other people. If they have TB in the lungs, they may likely cough and sneeze and, when they do this, the germs can be passed to someone else who is nearby. The infection tends to only happen when someone is near a person with TB disease for a long period of time – several hours, for example. TB is NOT spread by casual contact like being near someone for short periods of time, sharing food, or shaking hands.
So, if someone has no symptoms, how would they know whether they have TB infection? Well, the first step is to get tested.
There are 2 types of tests currently available for TB infection:
- The first is a blood test. This test needs one visit to the lab.
- The second is a skin test. This test needs two visits – one to have the test done on the arm, and another visit 2 days later for the nurse to see the result.
Doctors will choose which test to use based on a few factors. Both are good tests. The blood test is very good for anyone who had BCG vaccine.
If someone has a positive TB test result, they most likely have TB infection. They still need to talk to a doctor and have a chest X-ray to be sure it is TB infection and not TB disease.
If someone is diagnosed with TB Infection, the only way to cure it is to take medicine. There are now three treatment options. These include:
- Taking medicine once a week for 3 months
- Taking medicine every day for 4 months
- Taking medicine every day for 9 months
When someone has TB infection, their doctor will talk with them about which treatment option is right for them.
If someone does have TB disease, there are also medicines to treat that. To cure TB disease, the person needs to take more medicines for a longer period of time – it is much more difficult to treat and cure TB disease. This is one of the reasons why it is recommended to treat TB infection so it does not become TB disease.
So, now that you know the basics of TB infection, let’s talk about what you can do.
Most importantly, talk to your doctor about TB infection.
Get tested for TB infection.
If you have TB infection, get treated so it does not become TB disease.
Help your family and friends get tested and let them know TB infection can be treated.
Remember:
- TB infection can be treated.
- TB disease can be prevented.
- TB can be cured.
Thank you for watching!