Can I Work While Taking My TB meds?

[TWilly]

Hey there, I'm a new grad. I just got my first job. It turns out my skin test came up positive. I haven't had a chest xray yet. I'm just wondering, if I do have to take the TB meds will I be able to work at the same time or will I have to finish the meds first?

Thanks for the help!

[smilingbig]

Yes, you will be able to work. A (+) TST only means you are infected and there are no isolation precautions to take with someone who only has LTBI (latent tuberculosis infection). If you were symptomatic for active TB, you could have TB disease and that would warrant isolation precautions until additional testing could prove you were not an active case of TB or not contagtious.

[elkpark]

Yes, you will be able to work. A (+) TST only means you are infected and there are no isolation precautions to take with someone who only has LTBI (latent tuberculosis infection). If you were symptomatic for active TB, you could have TB disease and that would warrant isolation precautions until additional testing could prove you were not an active case of TB.

Actually, a + PPD does not mean that you are "infected," only that you have been exposed to TB at some point (what the test is registering is the presence of the antibodies your body produced as a result of being exposed). Big difference. Most people who are exposed are never at any risk of actually developing the illness, latent or otherwise.

OP, I took INH all the way through my first year of nursing school with no problems; no one even questioned that I would continue in school (inc. clinicals).

[smilingbig]

in our program we refer to the cdc as the authority on tb information... see below:

what is latent tb infection?

persons with latent tb infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. they are infected with m. tuberculosis, but do not have tb disease. the only sign of tb infection is a positive reaction to the tuberculin skin test or tb blood test. persons with latent tb infection are not infectious and cannot spread tb infection to others.

overall, without treatment, about 5 to 10% of infected persons will develop tb disease at some time in their lives. about half of those people who develop tb will do so within the first two years of infection. for persons whose immune systems are weak, especially those with hiv infection, the risk of developing tb disease is considerably higher than for persons with normal immune systems.

of special concern are persons infected by someone with extensively drug-resistant tb (xdr tb) who later develop tb disease; these persons will have xdr tb, not regular tb disease.

retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/ltbiandactivetb.htm

[smilingbig]

i apologize, i thought i had included this in the previous post as well:

to be "exposed" actually just means to have been around someone who was contagious with pulmonary or laryngeal tb. see below:

how was i exposed to tb?

you may have been exposed to tb if you spent time near someone with tb disease of the lungs or throat. you can only get infected by breathing in tb germs that person coughs into the air. you cannot get tb from someone’s clothes, drinking glass, eating utensils, handshake, toilet, or other surfaces where a tb patient has been.

retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factseries/exposure_eng.htm

[Esorlig]

Hi! I have some quiries, can a person under mediction for PTB can get a job?

[Esorlig]

Hi! I have some quiries, can a person under mediction for PTB can get a job? Waiting for a response. Thank you.!

[BerryhappyRN, MSN, RN]

I think the correct answer is that you should discuss this with your facility's infection control nurse. Each facility has their own P&P's. So although it may be true that you are not infectious, your facility may take into consideration other implications when it comes to hands on staff. Good luck!