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Tuberculosis screening is a global program to reduce the spread of pulmonary tuberculosis. The screening test identifies individuals with TB infection and active pulmonary tuberculosis, and investigates close contacts. Symptoms of active TB include fever, weight loss, night sweats, fatigue, coughing, and chest pain. TB bacteria can lie dormant for years until the immune system weakens. People with active TB should see a specialist, and their family and close contacts should undergo screening. An untreated person with active TB can infect up to 10-15 people a year.
Tuberculosis screening or tuberculosis screening is a worldwide program promoted by health experts to reduce the spread of pulmonary tuberculosis. It is a health screening test often performed to identify individuals with a tuberculosis infection and those with active pulmonary tuberculosis and to provide them with appropriate treatment. The TB screening test also investigates close contacts of those who have tested positive for TB, including every member of their family. This is an important method of contracting tuberculosis infection and providing adequate treatment in order to prevent the disease from becoming active and contagious.
The TB screening test often includes a skin test, called the Mantoux test, in which a small amount of purified protein derivative (PPD) is injected just under the skin of the forearm. After 48 to 72 hours, the doctor checks for any reactions that may indicate a tuberculosis infection. Other important TB screening tests include chest X-rays, blood tests, sputum smears, and sputum cultures.
Pulmonary tuberculosis is an infection of the lung caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Symptoms of active pulmonary tuberculosis include fever, unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fatigue, and a persistent cough. Sufferers sometimes pass blood, and chest pain may accompany breathing or every coughing fit.
When people with active TB cough, spit, talk or even sing, they expel TB bacteria into the air. Close contacts of TB patients can inhale these bacteria, which can enter one or both lungs, causing TB infection. When a person is healthy, their immune system can usually kill the bacteria or isolate them in the lungs, preventing the disease from activating. These bacteria in the lungs can lie dormant for many years, until the individual’s immune system weakens for any reason. The TB bacteria can then multiply in the lungs, making the person infectious and often manifesting with the signs and symptoms of active TB.
People who show signs and symptoms of active tuberculosis should see a lung specialist or pulmonologist right away. If the specialist suspects TB, they usually order a TB screening test. When the patient tests positive for tuberculosis, his family members and close contacts will also need to undergo tuberculosis screening to determine where the tuberculosis is coming from and identify if any of them are also infected. A person with active tuberculosis can infect up to 10-15 people a year if left untreated.
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