So, you’ve been coughing for a few months now and sweating at night… even your friends are saying you’ve lost some weight and should go for a TB test. TB is very common in South Africa, but fortunately it can be prevented and treated. Here’s what you need to know.
Preventing TB:
a) By the BCG (TB) vaccine:
- In countries where TB is common, the BCG forms part of the national childhood immunisation programme
- It’s generally used to offer children protection against TB
- It’s not used to interrupt the spread of TB from one adult to another
b) By preventing the spread of infectious TB from one adult to another. This is done by:
- Identifying people with active TB early on, and
- Treating them promptly with medication
TB is spread by airborne droplets, especially in crowded spaces. Here’s what you can do to prevent the spread of TB:
- Ventilate the house/room properly
- Cough, sneeze or laugh into a tissue and throw it away in a sealed plastic bag
- Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing
- Sleep alone in your own room
- Do not attend school or work until a healthcare worker has declared it safe to do so
- Avoid close household contact with children under 5 years old
- Take all TB medication correctly for the correct length of time
- Go for regular follow-ups and tests, to check if the TB medication is working and to see if it’s still infectious
- Avoid crowded places
Tests for TB:
Deciding if a person has TB or not, depends on many things:
- Symptoms suggestive of TB
- A clinical suspicion of TB in a patient (by a trained healthcare worker)
- TB screening tests such as:
- Microscopy (examination of stained sputum smears under a microscope)
- Culture (sputum culture of the TB organism; a process which takes longer)
- PCR-based tests/molecular testing
- Other tests including: chest X-ray, tuberculin skin test, blood culture, ultrasound, histological examination of tissue, amongst others
Treating TB:
The most important aspect of treatment is to take the correct medication for the correct length of time.
- TB drugs – the essential TB drugs are given in different combinations according to different treatment regimens
- Some TB drugs are bacteriocidal (killing action), bacteriostatic (sterilising action) or have the ability to prevent resistance
- The most common drugs are: isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, streptomycin
- Other TB drugs are used in specific circumstances
- Some additional drugs include steroids and Vit B6
Common side effects of TB drugs include:
- Joint pains
- Nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal cramps
- Burning, numbness or tingling of feet (and hands)
- Orange/red discolouration of urine
- Skin rash or itching
If you’d like more information about TB or TB medication, please chat to our doctors on the Hello Doctor app.