Prevention and Cure Relatively Easy, but Untreated, the Disease Can Be Deadly

Tuberculosis, which used to be known as consumption, is preventable and curable, but without treatment it can be deadly.

The disease is caused by a bacterium that attacks the lungs and can also affect other parts of the body.

Symptoms of TB include cough, chest pain, weight loss and fever.

The disease is spread when a person with an active case of TB sprays germs in the air by coughing, sneezing or talking. Someone inhaling the airborne germs (called “droplet nuclei”) may become infected with TB.

A TB infection is diagnosed with a skin test on the inner arm. The test is called the Mantoux (pronounced Man-choo) test or PPD (purified protein derivative) test. The person getting the test must be checked in 48 to 72 hours for a positive reaction, indicated by swelling.

A positive TB test does not necessarily mean that the person has an active case of the disease.

TB usually remains dormant in the body for months, even years.

Without medication, an infected person has up to a 10% chance of ever developing TB, but the risk increases when the immune system is weakened as a result of illness, old age, HIV infection, poor nutrition or drug and alcohol abuse.

If the skin test is positive, a chest X-ray and other tests are given to determine whether the person has the disease.

A negative chest X-ray means the person does not have an active case of TB and is not contagious.

However, a six- to 12-month course of medication is recommended to prevent active TB. With proper treatment, the risk of developing TB drops to 1%.

If the chest X-ray and other tests show an active case of TB, a six- to 12-month course of medication will almost always cure the disease.

Tuberculosis skin tests and chest X-rays are available at county public health centers in Burbank (500-3501), Canoga Park (340-3570), North Hollywood (766-3981), Glendale (500-5762), San Fernando (365-6341), Tujunga (352-1417) and Van Nuys (901-3903).

TB tests and chest X-rays are free for children at county public health centers.

For adults, the cost is $5 for a TB test and $25 for a chest X-ray.