A
female
age
41-50,
*wampfire
writes: My sister went to the doctor the other day for some tests and she was told that she has been exposed to TB,she is staying with me and my three young boys are there,should i be worried,am confused please help. Reply to this Question Share |
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female
reader, Honeypie +, writes (20 November 2011):
Call your doctor set up an appointment, he/she can clam your fear or help you take whatever steps are necessary.
A
male
reader, unknown2u +, writes (20 November 2011):
How might your sister have been exposed? Does she travel? Does she work with the homeless or immigrants?
You need to find out exactly what the doctor meant by 'exposed'. Person12345 is quite right -- the traditional TB seen in North America is quite treatable. But there are resistant strains in parts of the world that are very worrisome. Given that your children are in the picture, you really want more information.
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A
female
reader, person12345 +, writes (20 November 2011):
Does she actually have it, like have they done the chest x-rays and such? Or was it just a positive TB test? Until you know for sure if she has it, you're going to want to keep your distance. It's not highly contagious, but it is spread through respiratory means. So try not to get coughed on. Treat her like she has influenza. Wash your hands and ask her to do the same. As long as it's not a drug resistant strain, it's generally very treatable among healthy individuals with antibiotics. It used to be very dangerous, but it's not as scary as it used to be. You don't need to panic. If you're really scared, you can have her wear surgical masks, but a positive TB test and actually having TB are two very different things.
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