My friend's sister just found out she has TB!

Someone in her workplace has TB, so they tested everyone and Nanci's (friend's sis) came back positive! My friend just called the health dept. to see if her family should be tested and they told her to call back on MONDAY...they were closing for the evening. :grr: I asked her when she was last with her sister and she thinks about 2 weeks ago. This coming Monday we are having a Teacher Appreciation breakfast and my friend was suppose to be helping, but we need to know if she should just stay away from the school? and the food? Isn't TB airborne? I remember reading something about being on an airplane with a TB positive person and it was spread to everyone on the plane. Is there an incubation period? Is it more contagious at a particular time.. days? weeks?

Any doctors here who can help me? Her doctor referred her to the Health Dept. and she can't call them until Monday.

many years ago, one of my cousins had TB. Gave it to her husband and her kids...

The two mean very different things. Do you know?

and goes to the hospital on Monday for the chest x-rays and further testing. :shrug:

More tests would be requied to confirm that she HAS TB. Still, it would be best if she didn't serve at the breakfast.

TB is spread by droplets, which means those that are exhaled, as well. She should keep a low profile until she has consulted a physician about this problem.

You do not even want to mess around with this.

ON EDIT: Testing positive for TB only indicates that she has been exposed to TB and that her body has built immunities to it. It may NOT mean that she actually has the illness, as others here have suggested. Nevertheless, she should NOT be serving at the breakfast until she has consulted a physician and they can determine what is really going on.

No breakfast for her! Thank you!

a positive PPD skin test indicates the bacteria IS present in the body. It doesn't mean acute infection will develop; Mycobacterium tuberculosis can live in the bodies of most people without causing disease.

If you have information that this is not true, please post a link. Thanks.

can test positive for TB, even though they may not have the disease.

Whatever the case, the central thrust of my post is still valid: She needs to see a doctor before she is serving food to people.

but to clarify - the PPD test indicates the actual bacteria is present, not antibodies. People can walk around their entire lives with Mycobacterium tuberculosis living inside of them without ever developing active disease.

It sounds as if Nanci had a positive PPD skin test (it means the tuberculosis bacteria is present in the body). You need to find out if she also had a chest x-ray to check for acute disease and if she was started on a course of INH (medication she'll need to take for 6 months).

If she DOES NOT have active disease, then I would say your friend is probably OK. Most people with just a positive skin test are not contagious.

I would recommend your friend not help with the breakfast and then on Monday, go to the Health Department for a PPD test.

She goes to the hospital on Monday for the chest x-ray and further testing. My friend is going to the health dept. on Monday with her entire family for a skin test. Thank You for your help. I really do appreciate it!

and please do tell your friend and her family not to panic about this. Most people never develop active TB although just saying it is scary. :hi:

positive ever since just because of the exposure.

A woman I worked with also tests positive because her sister had it in the late fifties. Her sister survived,of course,since it is treatable now.

I never got TB nor did my friend and we both LIVED with the ones who had it.

Don't be too concerned.

I had the vaccination, and I give a lovely PPD test. Lovely I tell you!
Its also positive if you had previous exposure and naturally kicked the bugs ass. Of course its also positive if you had TB, got over it, and have a dormant infection around - thats what the x-ray checks for (on edit - obviously checks for active pulmonary TB too!)

However, I do believe if you have active TB you get a very strong PPD. Different things are inferred from just how strongly you react. In cases where the PPD is positive, the x-ray is to check for domant infection. Which can be seen as small calcified nodules on the long, usually in the apices.
(and I really hope thats right as I can't be arsed to fact check and its been a good few years since I dealt with TB cases).

Still, avoiding the breakfast as a precaution is sensible until test results are back.