Blood test came back positive for TB

[acajim 16]

Don't panic. As I read, your husband is the person applying and he's in the US already. Let me tell you a story: We have a refugee from India living with us while he was applying, he wasn't flag in India, but he tested positive here in the US, he just had to go see the doctor and take pills for some weeks, I don't remember how many. He was cleared after treatment.

 

I've met people from Mexico that tested positive while applying abroad and they have to stay in Mexico during treatment that last 6-12 months. I've also met people that are suspected to be TB positive and they have to submit cultures and wait 8 weeks for the lab results before they can schedule an interview. So maybe the X-ray is a struggle but at least he's here with you.

 

Good luck.

[EM_Vandaveer 2,408]

It is most likely latent TB, which is not contagious.

Edited December 18, 2019 by EM_Vandaveer

[EM_Vandaveer 2,408]

2 hours ago, geowrian said:

Most likely they either missed it on the x-ray (either due to a mistake or it not being visible) or it's a false positive. Contracting it post-medical and having it show up so soon would be unlikely, unless in close contact with the disease since then.

Either way, that's the past. Verifying the result is the present. If it is TB, then expect months of antibiotics. The good news would be that it was caught before it could become a problem for you and those around you. TB kills.

One can have a positive on the blood test and negative X-ray. It’s called latent TB and it isn’t contagious. Nor does it kill or harm you, unless it develops into active TB. Those with latent TB have a 1 in 10 chance of developing active TB in their lifetime. The vast majority of people with latent TB are unaware of having it.

Edited December 18, 2019 by EM_Vandaveer

[nidcaudi23 13]

Thank you so much to everyone who replied, I appreciate it. I know I’m probably over reacting to this...its not like I’m seriously ill and if I need antibiotics it’s for all the right reasons to protect this fine country. It’s just been a looooong year with so much stress and doctors. I thought we were finally done with it so it’s just disheartening to be told there’s more to do. But we’ll see what 2020 has in store.

Edited December 19, 2019 by nidcaudi23

[RamonGomez 271]

A long time ago my wife also failed the blood test, but according to the doctor, the chest x-ray is (or at least was) the main factor in deciding whether someone was cleared or not. we never had to do any follow up treatment.

[Calicolom 266]

8 hours ago, yuna628 said:

Individuals that are from UK and Europe are routinely given a vaccination called BCG. This vaccine is not given in the US, but those individuals who then come to the US and are subjected to certain types of TB tests can register a false TB positive using a cheap TB skin test because of their prior BCG vaccine. The CDC makes note of this pretty extensively, and US Civil Surgeons should be made aware of this during a medical. The best method is a blood test. https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/testing/testingbcgvaccinated.htm

 

It was not needed for you to repeat the entire medical either. If you missed shots, you could have received them at any pharmacy or even a walmart, and brought proof of this to a US Civil Surgeon that is willing to do a vaccination transcription ONLY. Unfortunately there's not a lot you can do now.

My wife had all the shotts, In the whole of southwest Florida, we were not able to find on civil surgeon that would just sign off, on a vaccination transcription only.

[jlc201 47]

There seems to be some misunderstandings here about what TB testing is for and how the results are used. Anyone who has a positive IGRA or a positive PPD skin test is considered to have TB infection. Even if you previously had a BCG vaccination,  the effect of that vaccination in inducing a false positive PPD will usually have waned after 10 years.

 

OK, so you were exposed to TB, don't freak out, lots and lost of people have been exposed to TB but don't develop active disease, that's what the chest x-ray is for. The x-ray looks for evidence of active tuberculosis or scarring in your lungs and if there is such evidence then you will probably be treated with multiple antibiotics for several months. If the chest x-ray is negative, then you have what is considered latent TB infection. Latent TB is very common and not a big problem, but if you have latent TB you are at risk of it developing into active TB. The risk of activation is greatest during the first year after you are exposed (about 6% of people exposed to TB will develop active disease during that first year), and is much lower--but not zero--for the rest of your life (about 1% of people will develop active TB at some point *after* the first year following exposure). That is the reason why it is recommended to take prophylaxis medication (usually isoniazid) for 6 -9 months after you have a positive IGRA or PPD test--because that first year after you are exposed is the time when you are most likely to develop active TB. 

 

What does this mean for your immigration case? If you are already living in the US, not much. You should have a chest x-ray  done to see if you have active TB and if you do then you would have more tests done and probably start treatment (diagnosing TB is more art than science). If the x-ray is normal then you should take the prophylaxis medication to reduce your risk of developing active TB. If you were living outside the US and had evidence of active TB, you would have needed to complete treatment or to  prove (with negative sputum cultures) that you did not actually have TB before being allowed to immigrate.

[nidcaudi23 13]

16 hours ago, NYCruiser said:

Were you given a Skin test (frequently incorrect results) or was it a Quantiferron Blood Test?

Hello there, it was a blood test. We simply needed to get my husband's missing vaccines:  MMR, Tdap, and now Flu because of season and we have completed those vaccines.

His 1-94 runs out 01-04-2020.. so we are hoping to get the 1-693 signed.  There were no issues with his UK Medical which was on 05-17-2019 so we assume this is a false positive as many other people have reported.

[nidcaudi23 13]

16 hours ago, acajim said:

Don't panic. As I read, your husband is the person applying and he's in the US already. Let me tell you a story: We have a refugee from India living with us while he was applying, he wasn't flag in India, but he tested positive here in the US, he just had to go see the doctor and take pills for some weeks, I don't remember how many. He was cleared after treatment.

 

I've met people from Mexico that tested positive while applying abroad and they have to stay in Mexico during treatment that last 6-12 months. I've also met people that are suspected to be TB positive and they have to submit cultures and wait 8 weeks for the lab results before they can schedule an interview. So maybe the X-ray is a struggle but at least he's here with you.

 

Good luck.

Hello there, my husband made the original post. We share the page together.  I've every so grateful that he is here with me and worse case scenario I will send off his AOS packet before his deadline is up 01-04-2020. And then send in 1-693 when we got notice from USCIS for AOS interview.  Everyone's kind posts has really helped ease his anxiety which I'm even more grateful for. - Nikki 

[nidcaudi23 13]

11 hours ago, jlc201 said:

There seems to be some misunderstandings here about what TB testing is for and how the results are used. Anyone who has a positive IGRA or a positive PPD skin test is considered to have TB infection. Even if you previously had a BCG vaccination,  the effect of that vaccination in inducing a false positive PPD will usually have waned after 10 years.

 

OK, so you were exposed to TB, don't freak out, lots and lost of people have been exposed to TB but don't develop active disease, that's what the chest x-ray is for. The x-ray looks for evidence of active tuberculosis or scarring in your lungs and if there is such evidence then you will probably be treated with multiple antibiotics for several months. If the chest x-ray is negative, then you have what is considered latent TB infection. Latent TB is very common and not a big problem, but if you have latent TB you are at risk of it developing into active TB. The risk of activation is greatest during the first year after you are exposed (about 6% of people exposed to TB will develop active disease during that first year), and is much lower--but not zero--for the rest of your life (about 1% of people will develop active TB at some point *after* the first year following exposure). That is the reason why it is recommended to take prophylaxis medication (usually isoniazid) for 6 -9 months after you have a positive IGRA or PPD test--because that first year after you are exposed is the time when you are most likely to develop active TB. 

 

What does this mean for your immigration case? If you are already living in the US, not much. You should have a chest x-ray  done to see if you have active TB and if you do then you would have more tests done and probably start treatment (diagnosing TB is more art than science). If the x-ray is normal then you should take the prophylaxis medication to reduce your risk of developing active TB. If you were living outside the US and had evidence of active TB, you would have needed to complete treatment or to  prove (with negative sputum cultures) that you did not actually have TB before being allowed to immigrate.

Hello there, this is his wife.  I'm definitely planning to get his chest x-ray done just to determine if the TB is latent or active or if the blood test was somehow a false positive.  I presume there was nothing that showed up on his UK medical on 05-17-19 otherwise he would not have been granted his K1 visa.  His I-94 runs out on 01-04-2020 and I have everything else needed for AOS so our worst case scenario plan of action at this point if I can't get Civil surgeon signature is to mail off AOS packet and complete I-693 once we receive either RFE or interview letter.  Thanks forsharing your information with us, we very much appreciate it. - NIkki 

[nidcaudi23 13]

13 hours ago, Calicolom said:

My wife had all the shotts, In the whole of southwest Florida, we were not able to find on civil surgeon that would just sign off, on a vaccination transcription only.

Hello there, we have also had the hardest time finding a civil surgeon to sign off on vaccines.. we called the ones listed in the wiki page but have not had any luck! - Nikki 

[nidcaudi23 13]

16 hours ago, EM_Vandaveer said:

One can have a positive on the blood test and negative X-ray. It’s called latent TB and it isn’t contagious. Nor does it kill or harm you, unless it develops into active TB. Those with latent TB have a 1 in 10 chance of developing active TB in their lifetime. The vast majority of people with latent TB are unaware of having it.

Hello there, so it's probable then that his UK chest x-ray was negative for 05-17-19 medical.. and hopefully the same would be true for this x-ray.

I also feel as frustrated as my husband.. because we did not need another medical in the first place just his missing vaccines but I could not find a Civil Surgeon that we could get to who would do vaccine transcripts only.  The office called yesterday saying they were sending the work order to the hospital where the x-ray would be performed.  I called the hospital to confirm before we drove all the way there.  The hospital has no record of it so I wanted to confirm their correct fax number.  Then called the doctor's office back and they had faxed it to the hospital phone number, not the fax number. Really?  I work with a fax machine everyday and it's really obvious when you are trying to fax to a telephone number and not a fax line.  

 

Our worst case action plan right now is to mail out his AOS packet soon as his 1-94 runs out on 01-04-2020 and I've everything else needed for AOS.  Since the 1-693 can be sent off at a later time I'm not willing to let that cause him overstay time. Thanks for sharing your information with us, it is very much appreciated.  - Nikki 

[Pitaya 2,577]

deleted---

 

Edited December 19, 2019 by Pitaya

[ADW & JOP 146]

16 hours ago, jlc201 said:

There seems to be some misunderstandings here about what TB testing is for and how the results are used. Anyone who has a positive IGRA or a positive PPD skin test is considered to have TB infection. Even if you previously had a BCG vaccination,  the effect of that vaccination in inducing a false positive PPD will usually have waned after 10 years.

 

OK, so you were exposed to TB, don't freak out, lots and lost of people have been exposed to TB but don't develop active disease, that's what the chest x-ray is for. The x-ray looks for evidence of active tuberculosis or scarring in your lungs and if there is such evidence then you will probably be treated with multiple antibiotics for several months. If the chest x-ray is negative, then you have what is considered latent TB infection. Latent TB is very common and not a big problem, but if you have latent TB you are at risk of it developing into active TB. The risk of activation is greatest during the first year after you are exposed (about 6% of people exposed to TB will develop active disease during that first year), and is much lower--but not zero--for the rest of your life (about 1% of people will develop active TB at some point *after* the first year following exposure). That is the reason why it is recommended to take prophylaxis medication (usually isoniazid) for 6 -9 months after you have a positive IGRA or PPD test--because that first year after you are exposed is the time when you are most likely to develop active TB. 

 

What does this mean for your immigration case? If you are already living in the US, not much. You should have a chest x-ray  done to see if you have active TB and if you do then you would have more tests done and probably start treatment (diagnosing TB is more art than science). If the x-ray is normal then you should take the prophylaxis medication to reduce your risk of developing active TB. If you were living outside the US and had evidence of active TB, you would have needed to complete treatment or to  prove (with negative sputum cultures) that you did not actually have TB before being allowed to immigrate.

I agree with this.

 

I will add that active Tb is not confined to the lungs (ie. extrapulmonary Tb can also have a positive IGRA). The importance of identifying active Tb is important as treatment for latent Tb is typically a single antibiotic for an extended period of time and not adequate in treatment of active Tb and substantially increases your risk of developing antibiotic resistance, hence the importance of reviewing any symptoms and signs with your healthcare provider to exclude active Tb before initiating treatment for latent Tb.

 

Serum IGRA results are not affected by BCG vaccine.

 

Indication to treat latent TB, in the non-immigration setting, is a personal decision. I have seen it both ways but it ultimately depends on personal risk factors and choice. Monotherapy with isoniazid for 6-9 months is not easy.

 

Edited December 19, 2019 by ADW & JOP

[alun 73]

Just yesterday I was asking my family doctor when I should start the treatment for latent TB ( the Civil surgeon would not sign off the vaccination part of I 693 without doing blood work etc . They found TB doing the blood work ) . My family dct said not to do any antibiotics until the chest X ray shows Tb . I guess he is not up to date with the guidelines . The X ray  was clear and the civil surgeon signed off  on the I 693 . I got my green card , nobody asked me about TB at the interview