In recognition of World TB Day, The Jefferson County Department of Health Tuberculosis Program will offer Free TB Skin Testing Friday, March 22, 2019 Time: 8:00 am-3:00 pm Address: 1400 6th Avenue South, Specialty Clinic, Lower Level, Birmingham, 35233 Phone: (205) 930-1570
Anyone can get TB. People with TB disease can be found in every state; in rural areas and cities; in schools, workplaces, homes; and in many other places where people are in close contact.
TB is preventable and curable. Yet, too many people in the United States still suffer from this disease.
Latent TB infection is a condition in which a person is infected with the TB bacteria, but does not currently have active TB disease and cannot spread TB to others. However, if these bacteria become active and multiply, latent TB infection can turn into TB disease.
WORLD TB DAY MARCH 24
Please join the JCDH
TB Program in recognizing World TB Day. March
24th commemorates Dr. Robert Koch’s announcement of his 1882
discovery of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacillus. The theme for this year’s commemoration is It’s Time. This year’s theme challenges Tuberculosis
programs globally to define just what it
is time to do to effectively end TB in our communities. Consequently, the CDC Division of Tuberculosis Division suggests that it is time for a number of
events to happen: It’s time to : 1) End the stigma surrounding
Tuberculosis. Anyone can get TB. People with tuberculosis disease can be found
in every state, county (whether rural, suburban, or inner city), in schools, workplaces, and homes. 2) Expand testing and target populations that are at greatest risk of
infection such as the homeless whether in or out of shelters, persons recently released from incarceration, and those who are Immuno-incompetent particularly with diagnoses of HIV, certain cancers, or diabetes. 3) Treat Latent
Tuberculosis Infection. Thirteen
million people in the United States have been diagnosed with latent TB
infection. Treatment for latent TB is recommended but individuals may opt not to be treated. However, if
latent TB infection goes untreated, the risk is greater for eventual
development of active disease. Jefferson
County continues to maintain fewer numbers of active TB casesi.e.18 cases (2.7 cases /100,000 people) treated in 2018 vs. 37 cases
(5.6/100,000) treated in 2009. This TB program realizes that It’s
Time to ELIMINATE
TB in Jefferson County. Our
challenge still is encouraging providers to stress the importance and benefits
of treating those patients with latent
TB infection.
To learn more about Tuberculosis, click on the links below:
https://www.cdc.gov:443/tb/events/worldtbday/default.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/
https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis
https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2019/03/24/default-calendar/world-tb-day-2019