tuberculosis diagnosed…(is it that serious)?

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13 November 2010

Question by diegokaka: tuberculosis diagnosed…(is it that serious)?
my brother who is 21 was just diagnosed with TB…he was in the hospital for a week…literally just laying down watching television…and taking the treatment for TB. He was able to go back home after a whole week in the hospital, with the condition that he would stay in home and not go out…until his sputum(flems) or mucus from throat became negative three times in a row..according to the county health department.

They have stressed that he should remain in home isolation until it is safe. He is doing fine now, no problem. Just stressed out for not being able to go out or school.

My question is…if anybody knows how really strict “health departments from a county” are…for example, lets say he starts going to school or other places…would the “health department” find out? do they put a private invistigator? or are they just trying to protect the community from a possible spreading of the TB..could the authorities actually get involved? I mean he is already on a treatment..

Best answer:

Answer by gangadharan_nair
Tuberculosis is serious because tubercle bacillus is drug-resistant. It is chronic. Hospital stay will be longer. Hospital charges including the cost of medicines are several times higher. He needs to be admitted to a hospital to prevent the spread of the disease to others until he is no longer contagious. Please note that incomplete treatment of TB infections (such as failure to take medications for the prescribed length of time) can contribute to the emergence of drug-resistant strains of bacteria.

Tuberculosis is a chronic, progressive infection with a period of latency following initial infection. It occurs most commonly in the lungs. Pulmonary symptoms include productive cough, chest pain, and dyspnea. Diagnosis is by sputum culture and smear. Treatment is with multiple antimicrobial agents.
Please see the web pages for more details on Tuberculosis.

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2 User Comments : Share your thoughts

  1. MISSIEJ November 13, 2010 at 7:23 am

    He is rite I work in an emergency room and I have witness people with it and done nothing about it or didn’t finish the treatment and no longer can breath on their own it is a very dangerous disease and yes the CDC will get involved

  2. omp_psu November 13, 2010 at 7:57 am

    Isolation is very important until the cultures all come back negative because TB is very contagious. In some states you can actually be chaarged with a crime if you knowingly go into public when you have TB, I know it sounds extreme but that is how serious the infection is, and how contagious it is.

    Your brother will be on medications for at least 6 months. The importance of taking the medicine each and every time cannot be stressed enough as TB can become resistant very quickly and missing doses can speed up the resistance process.

    So if he goes to school and gets people sick from his infection then he will be held accountable for other peoples sickness. When he was diagnosed with TB a report was made to the CDC so there is a record that he has TB and where he lives. If other people in the area get TB it can easily be traced bak to him.

    Make sure when you are around him you are wearing a respiratory mask until those cultre come back negative three times in a row.

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