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My wife has just told me some disturbing news about her co worker and Tuberculosis?

I am worried that my wife has just told me that one of her co workers has been diagnosed with TB, apparently because it is in her lymph Gland and not Her Lungs there is nothing to worry about, she is also living with people who have 2 small children who know about it, my daughter went to a party at there house a few weeks ago, they all work in a Nursing home caring for the old, no one will say anything because the person mentioned will have to return to the Philippines if they find out, I have already told my wife that this is unacceptable but its not my business to tell on her, my wife only works there once a week, but i am deeply concerned that a) my baby could have caught something around there house and b) my wife could catch / bring it home, to top it off the person mentioned has been told to go and get medication from the GB but apparently the GB has failed to be there at any given time, my response to that was not very supportive, am i over reacting, should i seek medical advice I have expressed my opinion to my wife, she is from the Philippines, so is the co worker and so are the people the co worker lives with, they are happy to let her live with them rather than exposing her as she would be sent back home, what can i say, so my main concern is for my baby girl who went to a party at there house a few weeks ago, she has had the normal (this time of year) flu like symptoms, i agree from what i am reading that in all likely she is fine but on Monday i will be taking her to the GB for my own piece of mind, I totally don't agree with how they are handling it, they are All responsible adults and i have told my wife how irresponsible it is that a) they are working with old fragile people and b) they may be putting 2 young children at risk, some people aye... i'm not sure about the GB situation and the not being there to give the medication, that bothers me as well, perhaps its nothing or perhaps a sign it could be more than meets the eye so to speak, thanks all... Yes, i was referring to my GP, it was very late last night :) Thanks for pointing it out.

Public Comments

1. TB is serious and no you are not overreacting. Your wife needs to report this to the Director of Nursing so it can be dealt with. These are human lives that this lady may be putting in Jeopardy. Encourage your wife to voice her concerns about everyones safety regarding this issue.
2. if the patient does have an active tb, it is contageous for those who are in close contact with her.
3. TB is only contagious when the infection is in the lungs. even then it is only contagious through prolonged exposure to coughing. relax. proper precautions (i.e. handwashing, gloves) taken by your wife are all that is needed.
4. I do agree that your wife should tell someone there regardless of the consequences to the people involved. It is mainly infectious however when there is "open TB" which means patients coughing up some serious amounts of "TB germs." Did your wife get a BCG vaccination? That is shown to prevent getting TB by 80%. Anyway, generally speaing there has to be close contact with the person, increasing your chances over prolonged periods of time spent around them. My thinking would be that glandular TB as you describe (which is more common in Asians btw) may not promote as much coughing as with TB in the lungs. ..but I can't verify that for sure. Anyway, you aren't over reacting, but also you shouldn't already have your wife and child diagnosed with it. It is unlikely if the cough isn't there to spread, so relax and try to convince your wife to talk to someone.
5. It is quite understandable why you are concerned about your wife and child's condition. Despite the fact that it may seem like it not your place to say something, it is your business to be concerned about your family. TB which harvests in the lymph nodes only occurs in immunocompromised patients. This means that they have a co-morbidity such as mono, AIDS, cancer, etc... (being drastic for teaching purposes) which is currently destroying their immune system. With a destroyed immune system, secondary diseases such as TB can harvest in lymph nodes where as in healthy people it will not. Now the concern is this...does the co-worker have an auto-immune disorder, or does she have AIDS? The problem is that no one knows, and that is why you should be concerned. Your wife is not concerned because us health care workers have such strong immune systems that she's been exposed to TB dozens of times prior to this incident. As for your child, it is not likely that he/she caught anything at the party but, to be safe, I would not send my child back to that house. This is a sticky situation but unfortunately you seem to be right. Talk to your wife and explain to her your concern, hopefully she will speak with her other co-workers and find the TB co-worker the proper medical attention she needs.
6. Tuberculosis commonly called TB is a highly infectious but curable disease caused by tubercle bacteria also known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB can affect any part of the body but will normally affect the lungs or the lymph glands. The bacteria can lie in the body for several years without displaying any signs or symptoms. A person is said to active TB whenever the bacteria changes from dormant to active. The symptoms of active TB are Cough lasting more than a couple of weeks shortness of breath Loss of appetite Fever, sweating especially at night Fatigue Anyone can get TB, but it is difficult to catch. Most people that contract TB have experinced long periods of exposure with an infectious person. This is usually longer than 8 hours and requires close contact. Your wife should contact public health or employee health to have patient checked and monitored.
7. There are a lot of people who test positive for TB, but who are not a danger to the community because it is dormant. TB isn't a disease that just appears overnite. Yes, once exposed to a person with active TB, you can immediately become infected, but it takes a long time before symptoms are apparent. Plus, legally speaking, the place that diagnosed this person with TB is legally obligated to report her exposure to the state dept of health. If she is a nursing assistant at a nursing home, that's the first red flag the state would see...in all 50 states in the USA, nursing assistants are required to be certified and registered with the state. Sooner or later, most likely within 2 weeks tops, she would be put on medical leave at work because of the TB. They don't mess with the health care field's safety. They even make everyone who works in a healthcare facility get a TB test either every 6 months or annually, depending upon where you live. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I would definitely seek medical advice, but I wouldn't be too worried. I'd actually be very skeptical whether or not this person is even being honest to begin with. And if she is, and she's hiding it from people and slips thru the cracks, well then you have an obligation to notify authorities... Then again, I'm not sure what the GB is, so maybe you don't live in the USA, and in that case, none of this would apply.
8. Lymph gland TB is disseminated TB, appearing after primary TB. The primary focus may be in the lungs or intestines. If the primary focus is in the lungs, her TB will spread by droplet infection. She will be sputum negative after 2 to 4 weeks of treatment, after which time she cannot give it to others. If she has multidrug resistant TB, that is more hazardous. She must take treatment regularly, otherwise she will develop MDR TB. Yes, it is hazardous for the children. I suppose by GB you mean GP, or General Physician.