I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of DiMe Media for the TB Blood Test.
Being a military family and being a former armed forces service member, I can’t tell you how much vaccines/shots I’ve gotten over the years. It’s a standing joke among the military that if there’s a vaccine for it, we’ve gotten it. One of the things that we exclusively check for whenever we’re getting deployed is Tuberculosis and the TB Test has always been one of the tests that I dread. Having someone stick a needle with antigen under your skin and then tell you to come back a few days later is no fun. What’s even worse is them telling you not to scratch it or irritate it because it does itch. What’s even worse is getting false positive and having to do even more tests. Well, that’s all fine and dandy for adults but what about kids?
I cherish my kids and when it comes to their health I fight to make sure that they are healthy and get the care that they need. There is nothing worse than seeing your children sick and knowing that there isn’t much that you can do for them. My mother would always say that “one ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” and I agree, so I vaccinate (and this is my choice) and make sure that they get the medical care they need. The advances that have been made when it comes to healthcare have been one that I applaud and today I want to talk about the advancement of the TB test, in this case, the TB blood test.
Before I tell you all about this new test, there are a few things that you should be aware of. Above is a picture of my boys, 2 of the most important people in my life and they are both in school. Being in school among hundreds of other kids means that they’re exposed to lots of different illnesses, viruses, etc. Have you ever wondered why your school-aged children always seem to be the ones who come home sick? Kids don’t care that their friends are sick, they want to be around their friend no matter what, so whatever their friends have, they are sure to bring home with them too. TB, however, is no laughing matter and is a serious disease that kills about 1.5 million people each year worldwide.
Did you know that:
- TB is an airborne and very highly contagious infectious disease that is caused by a bacterium. The bacteria is usually spread through the air by someone who is infected when that person sneezes, coughs, speaks and when the person who is nearby inhales the droplets. While TB usually affect the lungs, it can also cause disease in any part of the body including but not limited to your organs, lymph nodes, brain, eyes and even your bones.
- The TB infection is usually chronic and silent before becoming active. This inactive carrier state is called latent TB infection (LTBI) and can persist for weeks, months or years before developing into active contagious disease. Symptoms of active TB include chronic cough, fever, unexplained weight loss and, if severe, night sweats and even coughing up blood.
- 30% of humans are infected and a new infection happens every 3 seconds, and every 21 seconds someone dies of the disease. Those are some very alarming facts.
Now with our children being in school it’s important to get your school aged children (age 5-18) tested for tuberculosis in order to prevent the onset of the illness, and if they have been exposed to get them treated as soon as possible. Now the skin test has been around for over 110 years and the results haven’t always been accurate or very reliable. That’s where the new TB blood test comes in. Study results have shown that the TB blood test is more reliable in identifying those with latent TB who will soon progress to active TB, especially in children.
The TB blood test allows you to receive accurate results in just one visit to the doctor. Now there is no need to get the skin test, wait a few days and then come back to get the results read. With the TB blood test, a small sample of blood is taken and tested in the lab. The results can be obtained within 24hrs and you can even receive your results by telephone. If they happen to be negative, you now will be seen a lot faster for treatment instead of having to wait days with the TB skin test.
So if you have school-aged children and you care about their health, I would recommend getting the TB blood test and keep them safe and protected. I know I have a little girl that will begin school next year and she is definitely going to get tested because “better safe than sorry”.
Let’s discuss: What do you think of the advanced TB blood test?
