{"id":119,"date":"2016-11-14T19:38:26","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T19:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/?page_id=119"},"modified":"2026-02-24T09:23:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:23:24","slug":"tuberculosis-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/tuberculosis-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Tuberculosis program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ABOUT<\/a> | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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      <\/a>About the Program<\/h2>\n

      The Richmond City Health District Tuberculosis Program strives to prevent, identify, and treat tuberculosis in both its latent and active forms in Richmond City and the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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      <\/a>FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

      What is TB?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by germs that are spread from person to person through the air. TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine. A person with TB can die if they do not get treatment.<\/p>\n

      What Are the Symptoms of TB?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      The general symptoms of TB disease include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. The symptoms of TB disease of the lungs also include coughing, chest pain, and the coughing up of blood. Symptoms of TB disease in other parts of the body depend on the area affected.<\/p>\n

      How is TB Spread?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      TB germs are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. These germs can stay in the air for several hours, depending on the environment. Persons who breathe in the air containing these TB germs can become infected; this is called latent TB infection.<\/p>\n

      What is the Difference Between Latent TB Infection and TB Disease?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      People with\u00a0latent TB infection\u00a0have TB germs in their bodies, but they are not sick because the germs are not active. These people do not have symptoms of TB disease, and they cannot spread the germs to others. However, they may develop TB disease in the future. They are often prescribed treatment to prevent them from developing TB disease.<\/p>\n

      People with TB disease are sick from TB germs that are active, meaning that they are multiplying and destroying tissue in their body. They usually have symptoms of TB disease. People with TB disease of the lungs or throat are capable of spreading germs to others. They are prescribed drugs that can treat TB disease.<\/p>\n

      What Should I Do if I Have Been Exposed to Someone with TB Disease?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      People with TB disease are most likely to spread the germs to people they spend time with every day, such as family members or coworkers.\u00a0If you have been around someone who has TB disease, you should go to your doctor or your local health department for tests.<\/p>\n

      How Do You Get Tested for TB?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      There are two tests that can be used to help detect TB infection: a skin test or TB blood test. 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 TB blood tests measure how the patient\u2019s immune system reacts to the germs that cause TB.<\/p>\n

      What Does a Positive Test for TB Infection Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      A positive test for TB infection only tells that a person has been infected with TB germs. It does not tell whether or not the person has progressed to TB disease. Other tests, such as a chest x-ray and a sample of sputum, are needed to see whether the person has TB disease.<\/p>\n

      How is TB Disease Treated?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      TB disease can be treated by taking several drugs for 6 to 12 months. It is very important that people who have TB disease finish the medicine, and take the drugs exactly as prescribed. If they stop taking the drugs too soon, they can become sick again; if they do not take the drugs correctly, the germs that are still alive may become resistant to those drugs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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      <\/a>LOCATIONS & HOURS<\/span><\/h2>\n

      BY APPOINTMENT ONLY<\/p>\n

      Tuesday and Thursday
      \n8 a.m.-noon<\/p>\n

      Call 804-482-5500 to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      ABOUT | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":590,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nTuberculosis program - Richmond City Health Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/tuberculosis-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tuberculosis program - Richmond City Health Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ABOUT | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/tuberculosis-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Richmond City Health Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-24T14:23:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/richmond-city\\\/tuberculosis-program\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/richmond-city\\\/tuberculosis-program\\\/\",\"name\":\"Tuberculosis program - 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