Positive Tb test may affect AOS?

[Jowayne 0]

Hi just wanna ask a question,..i just found out today from health Department Nurse after me and my 2 kids had our H1N1 nasal spray that she received a letter from

immigration that my 2 kids (6 and 7 yrs old) had a Positive Tb test result back when we have it done in St.lukes Hospital Philippines,and they wanted us to have a skin test again and xray etc. My question is do you think it may affect in our AOS? hope not.pls. need help for those who knows or have same experience.Thanks..

[sjr09 155]

Hi just wanna ask a question,..i just found out today from health Department Nurse after me and my 2 kids had our H1N1 nasal spray that she received a letter from

immigration that my 2 kids (6 and 7 yrs old) had a Positive Tb test result back when we have it done in St.lukes Hospital Philippines,and they wanted us to have a skin test again and xray etc. My question is do you think it may affect in our AOS? hope not.pls. need help for those who knows or have same experience.Thanks..

It will not affect your AOS your in the US, your kids will need to under go treatment for the TB. EDIT You and your kids will need treatment.

Edited January 8, 2010 by sjr09

[Jowayne 0]

It will not affect your AOS your in the US, your kids will need to under go treatment for the TB. EDIT You and your kids will need treatment.

Thankyou for a quick reply.

[sjr09 155]

You need to take a skin test as well, if your kids are infected your at high risk.

What they are checking for is TB Mycobacterium tuberculosis This is common In the Philippines.Some/most Filipinos have had BCG vac's but this can wear off over time. With TB you can get very sick or even death

The tuberculin skin test performed by the Mantoux method is the most commonly used method for identifying TB infection. LTBI will not show up in a chest x-ray

LTBI is Latent TB infection Latent means you breathed in TB germs into your body and they are dormant (sleeping) you can not spread TB at this point but at any time in your life TB can come activate and you become sick. They can check for LTBI with a skin test

LTBI.With out tretment you run a 1 in 10 chance 10% with treatment 1 in 100 1% chance in your life time of getting TB.

I would have your love one tested for LTBI very simple skin test, the PI is a High Risk country, you may have LTBI and don’t even know it!

[jhoy 0]

Hi just wanna ask a question,..i just found out today from health Department Nurse after me and my 2 kids had our H1N1 nasal spray that she received a letter from

immigration that my 2 kids (6 and 7 yrs old) had a Positive Tb test result back when we have it done in St.lukes Hospital Philippines,and they wanted us to have a skin test again and xray etc. My question is do you think it may affect in our AOS? hope not.pls. need help for those who knows or have same experience.Thanks..

the question it did they do it in skin test, but dont u wori everything is fine u better ask that they do it in x-ray,in my experience im positive in TB when they do it through skin test,but when they x-ray me everything is ok so better ask if u can do it through xray not again through skin cause asian r prone positive to skin TB test...gud luck..

[sjr09 155]

the question it did they do it in skin test, but dont u wori everything is fine u better ask that they do it in x-ray,in my experience im positive in TB when they do it through skin test,but when they x-ray me everything is ok so better ask if u can do it through xray not again through skin cause asian r prone positive to skin TB test...gud luck..

You are not only wrong but miss informed!

Mycobacterium tuberculosis. X-RAY will not show LTBI LATENT TB

There are ways to test people whom had BCG Vaccinations. Since the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold test does not cross-react with BCG, this test will be particularly useful for testing individuals with history of BCG vaccination. Blood-based testing has become available as an alternative to the TB skin test since 2001. Another blood-based test, the Elispot® is approved for clinical use in Europe and is

undergoing testing in the United States. Testing programs using the QuantiFERON® tests

(or other blood based tests such as the Elispot® that are under evaluation) should only be

implemented if quality laboratory services are ensured and if plans are in place for followup

medical evaluation and treatment of persons who are diagnosed with LTBI.

Not all "Asians" have had BCG vaccinations. The tuberculin skin test performed by the Mantoux method is the most commonly used method for identifying TB infection.

Test all people who are high risk, regardless of BCG history.

Tests for TB infection are not contraindicated for persons who have been vaccinated with

BCG. A history of BCG vaccination should not be considered when deciding whether to

test and determining whether the test result is positive in high-risk individuals

Although BCG vaccination can cause a false positive cross-reaction to the TST (especially

within the first 12 months after vaccination), sensitivity to tuberculin is highly variable

and tends to decrease over time. (Wear off) There is no way to distinguish between a positive

reaction due to BCG-induced sensitivity and a positive reaction due to true LTBI.

Therefore, a positive reaction to the TST in BCG-vaccinated persons should be interpreted as indicating infection with M. tuberculosis when the person tested is at increased risk of

recent infection or has a medical condition that increases the risk of progression to activeTB disease.

Ten Points for Testing and Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection

1. Target all tuberculin skin testing to persons at high risk for TB

2. Test all people who are at high risk, regardless of BCG history

　

3. Decide which test to use for diagnosing latent TB infection

4. Determine if the test for TB infection is positive

5. Rule out active TB disease in persons with positive skin tests

6. Provide treatment for high-risk individuals diagnosed with latent TB infection,

regardless of age.

7. Take special care when testing and treating HIV-positive individuals

8. Carefully consider treatment for pregnant women, children, contacts of persons

with multidrug-resistant TB, and individuals with evidence of old, healed TB

9. Monitor all patients carefully during the treatment of LTBI

10. Ensure adherence during LTBI treatment

TST results should always be recorded as millimeters (mm) of induration; if there is no

induration, the result should be recorded as "0 mm". Based on the size of the induration,

there are three cutoff points for defining a positive TST result: =5, =10, and =15 mm of

induration . For individuals who are at highest risk of developing TB disease

if infected with M. tuberculosis, a =5 mm induration is considered positive. An induration

of =10 mm should be considered positive for groups with an increased probability of

developing TB disease. Routine tuberculin testing is not recommended for populations at

low risk of LTBI; however, if these persons are tested, a cutoff of =15 mm is considered positive

Recent immigrants (those who have been in the United States <5 years) from

countries with high rates of TB should receive a test for TB infection the first time

they enter the medical care system in the U.S.

Rule out active TB disease in persons with positive test for TB infection.

Any individual with a newly identified positive test for TB infection should be evaluated

for TB disease with a medical examination and a chest x-ray. If the initial chest x-ray is

negative for active TB disease and the person has no symptoms consistent with active TB,

the individual should be evaluated for treatment of LTBI. If a CXR was

done within 3 months of start of LTBI treatment and was normal, a repeat CXR may not be necessary. If a decision is made to not treat the individual, further

[ManilaIdaho 2]

You need to take a skin test as well, if your kids are infected your at high risk.

"It is rare for a child to be infectious. Most children with TB have caught it from an adult with ‘active TB’. "

TB informations sheets

[rahulv 4]

If TB is active you have to undergo a treatment of about 11 months with regular visits from infectious disease control people who keep checking if you are taking your medications regularly.

If TB is inactive, the skin test would come positive but X ray would be clean.

In second case there is no effect on your AOS (I know for sure as that was the case with me). I would not answer the first case because I do not know for sure, may be someone on VJ with the first case scenario can answer your question.

[sjr09 155]

"It is rare for a child to be infectious. Most children with TB have caught it from an adult with 'active TB'. "

TB informations sheets

"rare for a child to be infectious" in part that's true but

TB kills more young people than any other single infectious disease. Every minute two children die of TB worldwide, not so rare!

Children are highly susceptible to tuberculosis.The power to resist TB infection is normally poor in the first 5 years of life. The resistance can be further reduced by malnutrition, HIV, other childhood infections and worm infestations – all too common childhood conditions in poor countries. It has been estimated that as many as one third of the world’s population is infected with TB, and an estimated 20-50% of children who live in households where an adult has active tuberculosis become infected. Children are especially vulnerable to infection from household contacts as they are often held close and breathed on. The risk is particularly high in the developing world where family size is large, living quarters are crowded and more than half the population are children.

Traditional diagnosis of TB in children is ineffective.

A vast number of children infected remain undiagnosed – creating a reservoir of future adult disease. Diagnosis is difficult in children, and often fatally delayed – early symptoms and signs of tuberculosis in children are common and easily missed. Lung TB is particularly difficult to diagnose early as children’s lungs react differently than adults, and they have little or no cough (thus not being able to provide sputum for testing) and, even if produced, microscopical examination only occasionally reveals the characteristic tubercle bacilli.

TB can have devastating long term effects on children

who can be left deaf, blind and/or totally paralysed from TB meningitis, even after it is cured. Spread of infection to the bone can cause deformities of the spine (hunchback) or other permanent disabilities.

[sjr09 155]

If TB is active you have to undergo a treatment of about 11 months with regular visits from infectious disease control people who keep checking if you are taking your medications regularly.

If TB is inactive, the skin test would come positive but X ray would be clean.

In second case there is no effect on your AOS (I know for sure as that was the case with me). I would not answer the first case because I do not know for sure, may be someone on VJ with the first case scenario can answer your question.

Hawaii’s standard is higher then the mainland US do to the fact that we are a hub and home for a lot of people from Asia, when kids start school they need to get vaccinated for TB.

The treatment for LTBI or Active TB is 9 month of medication (isoniazid) that is if you don’t have resistant strain of TB.

[NCWife 0]

Well, if your Skin Test shows positive, they will require you to do a Chest X-ray to confirm it. I had the same thing done. The nurse will go through the TB explanation and will ask if you want to undergo the treatment which of course I declined since I know I don't have TB. Then, what happened was that my X-ray came out clear (negative) and they issued me a report to be submitted along with my I-693. A couple of weeks later, the Health Department sent me a letter, signed by the doctor saying that I don't need treatment.

Hope that helps and good luck.

Cheers.