BACKGROUND - TUBERCULOSIS -- TB OR NOT TB

Wetmore Foundation/Community Awareness Program for Tuberculosis (CAPTB) in liaison with Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans, Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine. (Contact Resources )

TB Quiz

Professional HotLine

Prevention Update

Treatement Update

TB Resources

THE HEADLINES

• Between 1985 and 1992, TB cases were on the rise, and even though there has been a slight decrease in TB incidence since then, TB elimination remains an ongoing battle.
  
• There is nowhere to hide from TB bacilli. If you breathe you are at risk.

THE FACTS

• Left untreated, one person with active TB will infect 15 people in a year’s time.

• Like the common cold, TB spreads through the air.

• If unrecognized or improperly treated, or if patients do not take prescribed medications properly, TB can become incurable.

WHO IS AT INCREASED RISK?

• Women are at increased risk, and TB has major implications for child survival, economic productivity, and family welfare.

• Children bear the brunt of their parents’ TB.

• Those persons with chronic illness or on chronic medications that may alter their immune systems are at increased risk.

• More HIV-infected individuals die from TB than from any other single cause.

• TB is the only HIV-associated opportunistic infection that can spread in the air to HIV-negative people.

IS THERE A SOLUTION? -> YES !! -> TB TREATMENT

• TB is curable.
• The first priority is to identify sick, infectious TB cases, so they can be treated and cured.
• Treatment must be directly observed so as to ensure that correct medications are taken for the right length of time.
  
• This program is called the "DOT" (Directly Observed Treatment) strategy and it works!

EXPOSURE TO TB? - WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR ?

MEDICAL RISK FACTORS

ASK YOUR DOCTOR: Do I face increased risk of getting infected with TB?

ASK YOURSELF: Have I been exposed to a person with TB?

IF SO, Do I need a skin test to check this out?

• The TB skin test is a safe method to detect if you have been infected with TB.
  
• It can be given to anyone who needs it but must be read by a trained health care worker within 48 to 72 hours of administering the test.
  
• It has no adverse effects and can be given during pregnancy.

RISK AFTER INFECTION

• The likelihood of developing the disease is greatest in the first two years after exposure and infection. The lifetime risk after infection is 10%.
  
• This risk can be significantly reduced by preventive treatment for those who are skin-test positive.

DO I HAVE TB? LOOK FOR SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS:

DIAGNOSING TB

TREATMENT OF TB

• YES!! It can be done.
• YES!! It is more than 95% effective.
• YES!! There are side effects, but these are mostly minor and insignificant if patient follow-up is regular.

WHAT IF YOU DON'T TAKE TREATMENT OR TAKE ERRATIC TREATMENT ?

PLEASE REMEMBER:

• TB can kill
• It can affect and infect your family.
• It is a public health hazard to your near and dear ones and to your community.
  
• Erratic treatment can lead to multidrug-resistant TB, which is more difficult to treat and more likely to be fatal.
  
• Erratic treatment may make TB incurable for patients and for whomever they may infect.

• LSUHSC - Wetmore TB Hotline
  1-(888) MY LUNGS (695-8647)

• Keta Lowe,, MSW, BCSW
  Executive Director
  Wetmore Foundation
  4700 Hessemer Avenue
  Metairie, LA 70002
  Tel: (504) 779-1888
  Fax: (504) 779-1830

INFORMATION DIRECTORY

TB Monitor: (800)688-2421; customerservice@ahcpub.com

Morial Asthma, Allergy and Respiratory Disease Center:
(888) MY LUNGS (695-8647)
www.lsumc.edu/centers/asthma/

• Wetmore TB Clinic
  MCLNO
  1532 Tulane Avenue
  New Orleans, LA
  Tel: (504) 568-8839
  Fax: (504) 568-8890

• LSU Charity TB Clinics
  6th Floor Center MCLNO

• LSU/Lions Clinics
  (504) 412-1692

Disclaimer: The material on the LSU-Wetmore TB website and subsequent e-mail correspondence in respone to your queries is for general information only. It is not meant to constitute a patient-physician relationship and whereas confidentiality will be maintained, it cannot be guaranteed. If you have any further questions, you should consult your personal physician or qualified health care provider in your area for specific advice and follow-up.

Copyright 1997-2003 LSUHSC Wetmore TB Info