Tuberculosis (TB)
Tuberculosis, or "TB", is a serious disease caused by a bacterium. It most often affects the lung, but can be found in other parts of the body. It can spread when someone with active TB of the lungs or voice box coughs, yells, sneezes, or talks and others breathe in the bacteria.
There are two types of TB - latent TB infection and active TB disease. A person diagnosed with latent TB infection is infected with the TB bacteria, but is not able to transmit the infection to another person. A person with active TB disease can spread the TB term to others.
People are most likely to become infected with TB if they spend many hours in close contact with someone with TB disease; brief contact usually does not lead to infection.
In Minnesota, 238 cases of active TB disease were reported in 2007. As with the state cases, TB cases in Stearns County have also increased over the past five years.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has a TB Prevention and Control Program, which collaborates with clinicians and local health departments throughout Minnesota to ensure that persons with TB receive effective and timely treatment, and that contact investigations are performed to mimize the spread of TB.
Public health nurses in Stearns County work cooperatively with persons diagnosed with TB and their providers to assure those with TB infection and TB disease are treated and complete their therapy course.
To learn more about TB services through Stearns County Human Services, Public Health Division, or to receive more information about TB, you can contact 320.656.6000 or visit the following web sites:
Minnesota Department of Health TB Prevention and Control Program: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/tb/
Centers for Disease Control, Division of TB Elimination: www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb
American Lung Association: www.lungusa.org/