To fight this global epidemic, India initiated the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). Which uses the WHO recommended DOTS strategy in fighting the disease. In March 2006 India officially announced 100% coverage of the DOTS strategy; this means everyone has a health facility in their area that provides free diagnosis and treatment for TB.
- Blood tests
- Chest X-ray
If you’ve had a positive skin test, your doctor is likely to order a chest X-ray. This may show white spots in your lungs where your immune system has walled off TB bacteria, or it may reveal changes in your lungs caused by active tuberculosis.
Sputum tests
If your chest X-ray shows signs of tuberculosis, your doctor may take a sample of your sputum — the mucus that comes up when you cough. The samples are tested for TB bacteria. These bacteria can also be tested to see if they are resistant to the effects of medications commonly used to treat tuberculosis. This helps your doctor choose the medications that are most likely to work.
Tuberculin skin test: The TB skin test (also called the Mantoux tuberculin skin test) is performed by injecting a small amount of fluid (called tuberculin) into the skin in the lower part of the arm. A person given the tuberculin skin test must return within 48 to 72 hours to have a trained health care worker look for a reaction on the arm. The health care worker will look for a raised, hard area or swelling, and if present, measure its size using a ruler. Redness by itself is not considered part of the reaction.
The skin test result depends on the size of the raised, hard area or swelling. It also depends on the person’s risk of being infected with TB bacteria and the progression to TB disease if infected.
- Positive skin test: This means the person’s body was infected with TB bacteria. Additional tests are needed to determine if the person has latent TB infection or TB disease. A health care worker will then provide treatment as needed.
- Negative skin test: This means the person’s body did not react to the test, and that latent TB infection or TB disease is not likely.
FOR MORE INFO: http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/testing/default.htm
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