TB tests

[START2]

Have any of you had a problem with your local health department insisting that your wife or new step child take medicine for their positive TB tests?  It seems that most Ukr.'s will test positive with the skin test they administer here. It's not that they have TB.  In Ukr. when a child is born, most will receive a vaccination to prevent TB. IT's called the BCG vaccine. We don't even get that here.  Usually after, when a skin test is administered, it will almost always show positive.  The health department freaks about this. They want our son to take some medicine for 9 months because he has a positive skin test, but a clean chest X-ray.  They also want my wife to take take this medicine and she refuses. The adult doses could cause liver problems so that's out of the question. I'll let her get an X-ray whenever she needs one.  I think the U.S. has seen an increase in TB  since they've decided to open the southern border to all the illegals so now they feel everyone should take this medicine. The kicker is, if anyone has a religious belief about medicine, then they are exempt. I know my wife and son are probably better protected than we are since they had preventive care at birth. Anyone have experience with this?

[jb]

Yes, most of the Docs are pretty understanding about that stuff down  here.  When she went to work as a teacher at the local school  district she simply mentioned she had the vaccine as a kid, the school  doctor just laughed and scheduled her for the x-ray.

[Son of Clyde]

My step son will take these pills for 9 months because of his positive x-ray.

It doesn't bother him much and he likes the nurse who gives him the refills every month. He looks forward to visiting the clinic.

So is there some way he can get out of taking these pills if it was a false positive

x- ray?

[Son of Clyde]

My wife and step-son have these marks on their arms where they were vaccinated. My step-son says his father has two areas where he had over 20 injections in each place.

My parents both have vaccination marks but mine has all but disappeared.

[jb]

Clyde,

You were vaccinated against Small Pox, not TB.

[Son of Clyde]

Apparently they were vaccinated against many thing with the huge scars they have.

[START2]

SoC,

I googled the BCG vaccine and apparently it is only given once. Usually a week to a month after birth. This should be all they had for the TB vaccine.  BCG is actually a strain of TB. Your son and wife if they had this will always test positive for TB with the skin tests they use here and there to. Never should they be tested like that because it will ALWAYS show positive. Chest x-rays will suffice. You said your son had a positive chest X-ray. Did you mean skin test?  If you did then yes, he should probably take the meds for 9 months. The school nurse will give it to him twice a week. If there is a break in the doses,such as vacations/etc, they will continue when he returns, and add the missed doses at the end of the scheduled 9 month period, so, no problem about that. As for adults, after the age of 37, the adult  meds are not or should not be administered. She will take a pill every day along with a vitamin B6 pill.If your wife takes it now be aware that it can cause a liver problem in some people. Each month  she will get a new dose for the next month at the health department and when she picks that up she will have to take a blood test. I assume to check for the liver re-acting to the drug. Val has declined to take this medicine and I agree with her. After all she's been vaccinated against TB and has a 70-80% chance of never getting it. I don't believe we even have that. With meds, it supposedly increases to 98%. The same rate is for the kids too. In my opinion we have less immunity to TB.

[Bruno]

[user=297]START2[/user] wrote:

I googled the BCG vaccine and apparently it is only given once. Usually a week to a month after birth....

When i was in Army, i have receive a BCG vaccine but it was a "old model"... a renew was needed after 10 year...

Now, the BCG vaccine is only given once ( protection for 15 year ) ... three type of vaccine :

- BCG Pasteur

- BCG SSI

- Monovax

Usually, these vaccine are given very late, around one year and never on the same arms that other vaccine... the side effect are enought strong :

The reaction awaited after vaccination includes an induration to the injection site, follow by a local lésion being able to ulcerate itself some weeks later and heal after some months, leaving a small flat scar.  She can equally induce the development of a ganglion lymphatique regional of less than 1 cm

The one time vaccine is prohibith to children below 4 week... only the monovax aministrated via a ring or multipuncture was used on fresh born baby but since last month, the fabrication is stopped... not enough rentable... only keep the Monovox administred by injection, 2 time more expensive but who lead to a scar...

Info from the INSERM ( national institut for health and research )

Some English info at :

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/tuberculosis/tbvaccine.htm

http://www.priory.com/cmol/bcg.htm

http://www.immunisation.nhs.uk/article.php?id=223

Russia use the BCG-M vaccine... for some info, use :

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed

fill the field "for" with "bcg-m"... and click "go"

[START2]

Seems our country pays special attention to countries that have 40 TB cases per 100,000 people. I'm not sure where to find the stats for FSU . Maybe the WHO would have those.  HMM

[Bruno]

[user=297]START2[/user] wrote:

Seems our country pays special attention to countries that have 40 TB cases per 100,000 people. I'm not sure where to find the stats for FSU . Maybe the WHO would have those.  HMM

 

Russia : 93/100000

Ukraine : 57/100000

USA : 2/100000

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/hea_tub_cas_per_100