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Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a reportable disease in Oklahoma. TB is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which usually affects the lungs. However, other parts of the body can be affected. When someone with TB disease of the lung coughs, sneezes, laughs, or sings, TB bacteria get into the air. People who share the same air space with this person may breathe in the bacteria.

TB symptoms may include feeling weak or sick, weight loss, fever and night sweats. Persons with TB of the lung may have complaints of cough, chest pain, and/or coughing up blood. Other symptoms depend on the particular part of the body that is affected.

Anyone can get TB. People at greater risk include: family members, friends, and coworkers who share the same air space with the person who has TB disease of the lungs. Others at risk include the elderly, homeless, prisoners, nursing home residents, alcoholics, injection drug users, people with medical conditions such as diabetes, HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS), certain types of cancer, and people who are chronically malnourished. 
 
People with TB infection (without disease) have TB bacteria in their body but are not sick because the bacteria are not active. They cannot spread the bacteria to others.  However, these people may develop TB disease in the future, if the TB bacteria become active. People with TB disease usually have one or more of the symptoms of TB and are sick because the TB bacteria are active and multiplying in their body. People with TB disease in their lungs can spread TB bacteria to others. 
 
A TB skin test is given to detect TB infection. If the skin test is positive, a chest x-ray and other exams will be done to make sure you do not have TB disease. Contact your county health department for more information about skin testing.   
 
TB drugs (antibiotics) are recommended for persons with TB disease.  Some persons with TB infection may need to take the drugs to prevent TB disease. These drugs are usually taken for 12 months. The most important factor is for the patient with TB disease to take his/her TB drugs as prescribed by the doctor and to cover the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. Drug resistant TB can develop when TB patients do not take their TB medication as prescribed by the doctor. It makes TB more difficult to treat. When resistance occurs, one or more of the TB drugs can no longer kill the TB bacteria.

A TB skin test is given to detect TB infection. If the skin test is positive, a chest x-ray and other exams will be done to make sure you do not have TB disease. You can get a TB tests at many of your local health departments or you may go to your private health care provider. A fee may be charged based on your risk factors.

TB drugs (antibiotics) are recommended for persons with TB disease. Some persons with TB infection may need to take the drugs to prevent TB disease. These drugs are usually taken for 12 months. The most important factor is for the patient with TB disease to take his/her TB drugs as prescribed by the doctor and to cover the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. Drug resistant TB can develop when TB patients do not take their TB medication as prescribed by the doctor. It makes TB more difficult to treat. When resistance occurs, one or more of the TB drugs can no longer kill the TB bacteria.

What is a TB contact investigation?

When someone has active TB disease, it is very important to find out if the disease has spread to other people. When public health workers look to see if the disease has spread, it is called a contact investigation.

A person with TB can spread the infection without even knowing it. If TB has spread to other people, they will need medicine so they don't get sick.

Information that you give to a public health worker during TB contact investigation is confidential. Your privacy will always be protected.

What happens in a TB contact investigation?

The public health worker will ask you when you started coughing or feeling sick. Try to think of all the people you have spent time with, including people living in your home, visitors, children, friends, coworkers, classmates, and babysitters. Think back several weeks or months to the time when you became sick or started to cough. Then the public health worker will determine who needs to be tested for TB.

What you tell your public health worker is private information. Your public health worker will not tell anyone else your name or information about you unless you say it is okay. This means that you can be honest with your public health worker.

Your public health worker may need to check the airflow in your home or other places you spend time. This helps decide who should have a TB test.

Your public health worker will arrange for people to get TB skin tests, but they will not tell them who has TB. The people who spent the most time with you will be tested first.

TB contact investigations take time. Your public health worker wants to make sure that everyone who needs a test can get one. Because of this, your public health worker may need to ask you the questions more than one time. They may ask you some different questions later. This is so that they can understand all of the information. Remember, what you tell your public health worker is private information.

External TB resources

TB Surveillance Data and Statistics

Contact Information

Infectious Disease Systems and Collaboration, Tuberculosis Division
Oklahoma State Department of Health
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Phone: (405) 426-8710
Email: adservice@health.ok.gov