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Home > Fitness & Health > Health Library > Tuberculosis Screening
All cases of tuberculosis (TB) are reported to the local or state health department, because the disease can spread to others and cause outbreaks. Major health authorities keep track of TB outbreaks and encourage early testing for people who are at risk for the disease.
The CDC recommends TB testing for people who:footnote 1
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends TB testing for people who:footnote 2
People who have a high risk for developing TB usually have a skin test (tuberculin test) on a regular basis. Health professionals often are given a tuberculin skin test when they begin work in a hospital or nursing home, with retesting every 6 to 12 months.
For more information, see the topic Tuberculosis.
Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (2009). Questions and answers about TB. Available online: http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/faqs/default.htm.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (2016) Screening for latent tuberculosis infection in adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA, 316(9): 962–969. DOI:10.1001/jama.2016.11046. Accessed September 7, 2016.
Current as of: June 9, 2019
Author: Healthwise StaffMedical Review: E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal MedicineAdam Husney, MD - Family MedicineR. Steven Tharratt, MD, FACP, FCCP - Pulmonology, Critical Care MedicineW. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease
Current as of:
June 9, 2019
Medical Review:E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & R. Steven Tharratt, MD, FACP, FCCP - Pulmonology, Critical Care Medicine & W. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease
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