Myths of Tuberculosis...Explained

   There are many myths about Tuberculosis that people need to learn about. Most of which relate to how people are infected with TB, and subjects such as testing or symptoms. Below are examples of myths of Tuberculosis, as well as an explanation for why they are not true. This should clear up questions that many of us have about the infection.

Myth #1: Tuberculosis infection and Tuberculosis disease are the same thing.
   
    Tuberculosis infection and Tuberculosis disease are not the same thing. Tuberculosis infection is when the germ is inactive and therefore, the person is not contagious and will not show signs or symptoms. On the other hand, Tuberculosis disease is where the germ is active within the body which makes the person contagious, showing signs or symptoms.

Myth  #2: Tuberculosis is hereditary.

     You may have heard from someone that TB is hereditary, but this is not true. This disease is transmitted through the air from person to person, so it is in no way related to genetics. A simple cough or sneeze can spread the disease to another person.

Myth #3: Tuberculosis infection will always develop into Tuberculosis disease.

    A TB infection does not always turn into TB disease. A person is most likely to develop TB disease  with a weakened immune system. This category most often falls on the elderly, young children, persons with HIV, or cancer.

Myth #4: Tuberculosis only occurs in lower socioeconomic groups.

    This statement is false in that any person can contract TB. There is however, reasoning that some people may be at a higher risk to develop TB, which is why it is important to know ways to reduce your risks.

Myth #5: Tuberculosis causes lung cancer.

    Although TB can increase the risk of lung cancer, it is not the prominent cause of lung cancer. Lung cancer is primarily caused by smoking and pollution, among other factors.

Myth #6: A positive skin test means that I have Tuberculosis.

    A positive skin test does not necessarily mean that you have TB, but it does verify that you have been exposed to the TB infection. In this way, you do not have the disease, but it is important to start medication for TB infection.
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      If you are interested on learning more about Tuberculosis, watch this video on Tuberculosis Treatment Myths. This video provides information on the differences of Tuberculosis disease and Tuberculosis infection, as well as many other interesting facts.

You Tube Video on TB Myths

References

Tuberculosis Myths. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2014, from http://knowyo.org/the-myths/tuberculosis-myths/

Tuberculosis Treatment Myths [You Tube]. (2014). Hello Doctor.

Thanks for logging in to BustingMyths.com! (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2014, from http://bustingmyths.com/ 

Exactly what is the Vaccine for TB?

       The vaccine for tuberculosis is known as BCG, which stands for Bacille Calmette-Guérin. However, this vaccine is not used often in the United States. If it is used, it is only given to young children and infants. Most of the time, this BCG vaccine does not protect people from getting TB. Therefore, it is only given to people who are consulted by his/her doctor and meet criteria for the vaccination.
       Children should only be given the BCG vaccine if their skin test results are negative and if they are exposed to tuberculosis on a regular basis. Children should take the TB skin test, rather than the TB blood test.
       If health care workers would like to take the vaccine, they should be considered on an individual basis. The person may be resistant to isoniazid and rifampin or there may be a transmission of drug-resistant TB strains. Both of these situations could be a reason for health care workers to look into taking the BCG vaccine.
       If you or someone you know has received the BCG vaccination, they should receive another TB skin test to test for tuberculosis. A TB test result may come back positive if you have spent time somewhere where the TB disease is prominent, or you have been around someone who has the disease. A TB blood test is not affected by the BCG vaccination and will not give a false-positive result in people who have taken the vaccination.
       Please keep in mind that both the TB skin test and the TB blood test does not tell you if the TB infection is latent or is TB disease. These tests will only show if the person is infected with the TB bacteria. Image 1, as seen below, provides a picture of a BCG Vaccine Package.

                                                        Image 1: BCG Vaccine Package

If you would like additional information on the BCG vaccination, please look at the link provided below.

BCG Information

References

Vaccine and Immunizations. (2012, August 14). Retrieved November 8, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/vaccines/default.htm

Family Practice Notebook. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2014, from http://www.fpnotebook.com/legacy/ID/Immunize/BcgVcn.htm