Deschutes County Government, Oregon - Tuberculosis Testing Program

Deschutes County has maintained a low rate of active tuberculosis (TB) cases. In order to keep TB from spreading to others, each case must be treated by a health care provider and followed by the Health Department. Although the number of tuberculosis cases in the United States is lower today than it has been in the last two decades the TB epidemic is growing worse in some other countries, primarily due to HIV/AIDS. One third of the world's population are infected with 8 million new cases and 2 million deaths each year. Of particular concern is the emergence of multiple drug resistant TB, making the Health Department's role in identification and follow-up even more important.

Days: Monday

Times: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Contact Information:

2577 NE Courtney Dr., Bend

for appointments or questions call 322-7400

What is Tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacteruim tuberculosis. The tuberculosis bacteria can be spread by very small secretion droplets when a person coughs, talks, sneezes, or sings. Only persons with an active case of TB can spread disease. Many people have been exposed to the TB bacteria but have never had symptoms of active disease. These people are not contagious. The only way to confirm that a person has been exposed to TB is by the TB skin test. A chest x-ray reveals if there are any changes in the lungs due to illness.

The most common symptoms of active TB are:

productive cough lasting more than 3 weeks (with or without blood)
fatigue
loss of weight
loss of appetite
night sweats
fever

Who Should Be Tested
If you are experiencing a cough, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, fatigue or fever you may want to get tested. You should get tested if you know you have been exposed to someone who has been diagnosed with TB. The likelihood of becoming active with TB in the first two years after exposure is the greatest.

TB Skin Testing
The Health Department offers TB skin testing by appointment. The test is very simple and appointments take only 10 minutes. After 2-3 days you will return to the clinic to have the skin test looked at and interpreted by a nurse.

Positive TB Tests
If your TB test is positive you will be asked to contact your physician who will order a chest x-ray and do a physical assessment. From the x-rays and other indicators the physician will determine if you have active disease or if you have just been exposed.

Active disease will require multiple medications to be taken daily from 6-9 months and a sample of your sputum (spit) will be sent to a laboratory in order to determine which drugs will be most effective.

If the physician determines that you are infected with TB but do not have active disease you will also be asked to take medications on a regular basis for 6 or 9 months. These medications are critical to stopping the spread of TB in our community.

Follow-up
The Health Department is involved in finding out where each person may have become infected and to whom they may have passed the bacteria. All contacts will be identified and asked to be tested. Persons with active disease will be kept isolated until they have completed a full two weeks of drug therapy. Persons who qualify can obtain all their medications free of charge through the State Health Division. Each person on medication receives education concerning the medications and side-effects. For individuals with active TB, a public health nurse will arrange for directly observed therapy on a daily basis while on medications. The Health Department works very closely with each client's physician to keep each person healthy and on track with their treatment.

Public Education
The communicable disease staff offers educational seminars on TB.

For more information, please visit the Oregon Department of Human Services website pages on TB control at http://www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/tb/