TB test negative for kid - GC 3rd stage?

Hi Shobana

my daughter also got positive result. we came to know that when we went hospital for his school forms.But negative result in chest x-ray as urs.

It should be positive becos of BCG vac. no problem in that. they suggest us to take medicine for that nearly 9 months but we dont like that. so we didnt go to that specialist.

 

Shobana

I'm no doctor, so be aware that my information comes from the internet and talking to doctors. I had a TB skin test show up positive in 2007, which sent me scurrying to find more information. Although my chest x-ray showed no signs of TB, just like your daughter, it was advised that I take the 9-month course of medication. However, since there was a possibility that we might decide to have a baby in that time, my husband and I decided against the course of medication. I do plan to take the medication as soon as I am able, though.

Like your doctor has told you, the test could have been positive because of the BCG vaccine your daughter had. However, it might also be positive because your daughter has been exposed to the TB bacteria and although she doesn't appear to have an active TB infection, she may have a dormant one. This means the bacteria may be present in her lungs but has not become an active infection yet. It may never become one, either.

This made sense to me because I'm South African, and I've also lived in India, and those are two countries with higher than normal rates of TB infection. This means we all have an increased chance that we've been exposed to the bacteria at some point. This doesn't necessarily mean we'll go on to develop an active infection, but for me, just to be on the safe side, I plan to take the medication as soon as I can.

It is a 6-9 month course of antibiotics that kills the potential TB bacteria in the lungs if it is there. It is a personal choice for you to make, to decide if you want your daughter to take it or not. You should discuss this matter with your health professional until you are thoroughly sure of the facts.

There isn't anything to be afraid of, really, and I appreciate the fact that here in the US, they're far more thorough about this sort of thing and prefer to take preventative measures. I often think that if perhaps we adopted a similar approach in South Africa, we wouldn't have all the avoidable problems we do with diseases like TB.

Here is a good website for information on this matter:

Tuberculosis -- familydoctor.org

I hope this helps

 

Hi,

May be its because of the side effects of the tb medication. Doctor themselves say that there will be side effects for the medication.
There is also one more thing, Doctor says that the 9 months medication is a precautionary measure. Its not still proven that it will definetly remove the bacteria. I am not a doctor. If u search on the net you will get these info. We had a same situation with my son. We opted not to give medication. We consulted my cousin who is a pedi doctor here, who advised us not to give medication as its not confirmed or proven.
So this is your call. 9 monthys of medication is not a small thing.
OK if he has active TB then i understand. But in this case like anusuya says it might be even if u have come into contact with a TB patient it will show positive or may be because of BCG.
Take care
asks

 

Hi Shobanaj
I am also not a doctor but this matter of the positive skini tests I have seen before with friends. A Tibetan friend of mine who lived with us as a tourist for a while ended up emigrating to Canada. When they did the entry testing there he had the positive test and they did a followup in Canada with chest x-ray. His came up positive according to the Canadian docs and he had to take medicine for 6? 9? months. He was told that it is extremely important to not miss any doses of medicine, to take it at same time daily, etc. They even sent a nurse to his house daily to give him the medicine (he had done pre-med in Chandigarh so this was a bit of overkill) as they told him that the TB could easily mutate to the medicine resistant strain and then you had a really big problem. I read on the internet that some emigrants treated in Canada cost like $4 mil each to treat if they had that medicine resistant form of TB. I would suggest folks to consult an Indian doctor who is familiar with BCG and TB treatment protocols both in India and USA in order to figure out what to do. Starting the medicine is quite a commitment but obviously needed if one actually has TB.

 

I agree with what previous posters have said - the TB medication itself can have unpleasant side effects and 9 months is a long time to put someone, especially a child, through it.

Here is my PERSONAL take on the matter (you don't have to agree):

• Even if the medication provides even a slim chance that it will help me avoid an active TB infection in the future, I am prepared to take it.
• I would rather go through 9 months of taking an antibiotic or combination of antibiotics and attendant side effects than risk developing TB, which will definitely compromise my health and lifestyle in many unpleasant ways and might even kill me.
• I TRUST the way this issue is handled here in the US, simply because in my country (South Africa), the way the health authorities have handled TB is apathetic at best and criminally negligent at worst. I think the situation is similar in India, judging from what I read on this site

Tuberculosis

• For me, then, I would be inclined to believe in and trust the health authorities in a country that has managed to largely eradicate TB than those in countries that still battle with the disease.
• South Africa has a huge problem with the drug-resistant TB that Tashidelek has spoken about. It is a killer disease that is spread largely because people won't follow the protocols laid out by organisations like WHO (don't take medication, don't follow quarantine rules). This is especially a problem when infected people from Third World countries like South Africa enter countries where TB is under control. So, I don't consider, as Tashidelek does, the nurse coming over to an infected person's house to administer medication as "overkill". In a situation like this, it is better to take all precautions.
• If South Africa were similarly thorough and conscientious in the way it dealt with issues like TB, we probably wouldn't have the problem we do now. Unfortunately, people there just don't care enough that are are endangering the health of OTHERS as well as themselves, or don't understand enough about medicine and science to be responsible.
• If I am living here as a guest, I have an obligation to follow the rules/guidelines here with due consideration for why they have been put in place in the first place. After all, aren't higher standards in healthcare, etc. one of the luxuries I enjoy here, as opposed to my own country?

Like I said, this is my personal reasoning on the issue. I'm not forcing it on anyone else, because obviously it is up to the individual to make a choice for himself or herself. However, I feel it is good to consider this issue from all angles, and not just settle for what we always do or have done, and necessarily stick with that.

 

Hi Ansuya

I was just looking up information on TB to refresh my memory as I had some memory that carrying dormant TB bacteria was somewhat common. I found this synopsis:
www.dhpe.org/infect/tb.html

As to my statement about overkill, I was alluding to this specific case where my friend had done pre-med, not regarding the majority of cases.

My opinion about TB care in USA is that our doctors here are so used to our not having it here that they don't either look for it or be able to medicate through experience. I think that right now we have LOTS of possible cases with the millions of illlegals living here and working in restaurants, farms, etc and who have little access to medical care and high incidence in home countries. When I was a kid in the 50's, we used to have yearly TB tine tests and everyone had them. Also all school kids had free immunizations at school (parents had to sign for this). These public programs are long gone. Who knows how many folks here might have TB?

Your link to the TB program in India was interesting reading. My good friend in the Tibetan community there has related to me about his experiences in dealing with the Indian govt about treatments for patients at the hospital that he designed and built in Karnataka. He had very good reports as to their help, treatment centers, and their distribution of free medications to patients. Due to the scale of the problem of India, I think they have been active in recent years in battling this problem with some vigor.

You have a confidence in the USA medical system that I do not share. Of recent years I have been doing my medical and dental in India.

Lastly, I want to thank you for honoring your duties as a guest here. This is the immigrant attitude we have historically enjoyed here that has progressed our country.

 

Tashidelek

Thanks for the courteous response. I tend to be overly cautious when it comes to preventing myself from falling ill, so when I found out I tested positive on the TB skin test, I was horrified. This has made me determined to take the preventative course of medication as soon as I can. I'd hate to be pregnant, older, have a compromised immune system etc, later and then develop TB and wish I had taken action when I could have.

I agree with you that there may be many people in the US who currently have dormant or active TB, but it is simply not possible for it to occur here on the same scale that it does in India and South Africa. This means that for all its shortcomings, the US is doing something right. In my experience, people here (not just immigrants like me) tend to be more law-abiding and responsible when it comes to complying with healthcare guidelines. I wish I could export some of this attitude to South Africa.

I'm sure the US healthcare system is far from perfect. However, I have lived in India and South Africa and received treatment at what was considered reputable institutions in both countries, and did not feel much confidence in either systems. Here in the US, I'm lucky enough to receive free healthcare at one of Iowa's best hospitals (where my husband works). This has biased me somewhat in favour of the American health system.

However, I'm not naive enought to think that healthcare is this affordable and convenient for most or all Americans, just like the healthcare you can afford in India is probably not accessible to the Indians who would need it the most (the impoverished and uneducated). So, I guess all our experiences are relative, and people need to do what they are comfortable with, as long as the decisions they make are informed ones. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic - I found your viewpoint interesting and enlightening.