TB Symptoms: Children Encouraged To Be Tested After Outbreak Causes Alarm

A tuberculosis outbreak was reported in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Because of the deadly effects of the disease, parents are now urged to have their children tested, to find out if they have been infected. The question is, how will they identify who among their children have been infected by the deadly TB bacteria? Thus, it is important to be able to spot the symptoms as they occur.

2 Kinds of TB

According to the Centers Disease and Control Prevention, there are two kinds of TB conditions. The first one is TB disease. The other one is referred to as latent TB infection. TB disease occurs when people get sick from active TB germs. They are the ones that exhibit symptoms. They also have the capability to infect others and spread the bacteria.

On the other hand, those with latent TB do not feel sick. They don’t exhibit symptoms and do not have the capability to spread the germs to others. However, if they are not treated, there is a tendency that their TB germs will become active. When this happens, they can develop TB disease.

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Signs and Symptoms of Active TB

One of the major symptoms of active TB is a cough that lasts 3 or more weeks. Another sign to watch out for is coughing up blood. Other symptoms that you have to be wary about include unintentional weight loss, chest pain, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite.

In fact, Mayo Clinic emphasized that tuberculosis can affect not just your lungs, but also other parts of your body. This would include your brain and your kidneys. It must be noted that when the disease would occur in organs other than the lungs, other symptoms may become manifest.

How TB Spreads

TB bacteria spread airborne. When an infected person sneezes or coughs, tiny droplets are released into the air. When another person inadvertently comes into contact with these droplets, he could get infected.

It is very important that those who have been in contact with patients or TB infected persons to undergo screening. Treating the disease at any stage once diagnosed will be a life-saving measure.