 So what does that mean to have TB disease? Let me give it to you straight. You have to pay attention to TB. If you don't, it can kill you. It's that simple. I was afraid to tell anyone. I just ignored it, you know? And I thought it would go away. I'm okay. Listen. Are we gonna have any orchids on? Orchids will be coming in Monday. You've got some in now. I don't know if you want to send them out. Or you can send them out. We'll look at them first. They'll be back. Now get moving. You've got a lot more to do. Let me get that orchid. When the people at the clinic told me I had TB, it was terrible. But I stopped working and took the medicine, like they said. What else could I do? It took good care of me. It wasn't so bad. But I needed to go back to work. I got teenagers. They eat like horses. I knew I needed to take my medicine. But I just didn't have time to get to the clinic. They said when I wasn't contagious anymore it was okay to go back to work. So I went. I'm his outreach worker. And I became very concerned about why Frank just stopped coming into the clinic. Because it's not like him to do this without telling me. How you doing? Listen. Frank, I really have to speak to you. So I decided I really needed to go out and see why he didn't come into the clinic. But your health comes first, Frank. I said I was feeling fine. I needed to take care of my family. I have a call right down the block. Listen, I only missed taking the medicine a few days. Is it really going to make that much of a difference? Yes, it is. It makes a great deal of difference. You need to take your medication every day, Frank. And you miss two days. That's two days too many. I told Frank that if he didn't keep up with his regimen, that he can become sicker. And who would be there to take care of his family? I couldn't argue with that. I said okay. Now to help me out. The outreach worker brings my medicine about the job a few times a week. Do you have something I can take with me? Yes, I can. That's okay, Frank. I go out each day to work with patients who have been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Life is tough enough. Who wants to know that they have TB? Have you been here before? Yeah, I was here a couple of days ago to get tested. Somebody at my job got TB, so we all had to get tested. I'm here to get the results. I'm really scared. Yeah, somebody at the health department told me I've been in contact with someone who had TB. You too. I've already taken a few tests. I've been here already a few times, so... I thought I was feeling fine, you know. I said I had to come in anyway, so... Lopez, Tina. Good luck. There is good news. TB is preventable and curable. However, TB medicine must be taken as prescribed for at least six months. You can beat this disease if you take your medicine. When people come to the clinic, they are often frightened and have a lot of questions. Our job is to answer their questions, to make them feel comfortable, and to help them understand the difference between TB infection and TB disease. Hi. My name is Guy from the Department of Health. Let me see you in your arm, please. You have a reaction. You got the skin test. The positive reaction means Tina has been infected with TB bacteria. You can become infected if you spend a lot of time around someone who has active TB disease and is coughing the bacteria into the air. Okay, so I may have gotten it breathing maybe at work, just from working closely with someone. Tina was most likely exposed from working in close contact with someone who had active TB disease. We're going to be doing another test. Tina will be given a chest x-ray and other tests to determine if she has TB disease. I was worried because I can't believe I would get a letter from the health department that I have to go and get tested for TB. I mean, someone at my office would actually get the disease. I didn't even know it existed. What does that mean? Infection. Alright, what infection means is that the TB bacteria is in your body, but it's not active at this point. When the bacteria enters the body, the body's defenses begin to work by building a wall around them the way a scab forms over a cut. The bacteria can stay alive inside these walls, but they are not active. While they are not active, the bacteria can do damage to the body and they don't make you sick. This is TB infection. Can I give it to someone else? No, you're not contagious. You can only spread it if you have the active disease in your lungs. Hello, Pest. How are you doing this afternoon? Okay, I guess. Most people who have TB infection do not develop TB disease, but some people are at greater risk of developing TB disease. These people should take medicine to prevent the disease from developing. It's called preventive treatment. And you don't have the disease right now. What do you do for someone with TB infection? In somebody like yourself we usually suggest them to take preventive treatment. What is the medicine? It's called isonicid or INH. INH is a medication given to prevent TB disease from developing. We recommend Tina take it every day for at least six months. That will be the minimum you have to take it to make sure that you'll be fine. We recommend preventive treatment for people who have positive skin tests and have been in close contact with a person who has TB disease, for people who have HIV infection or other conditions that weaken the immune system, for people who inject drugs, for those who have been infected with TB within the last two years and all babies and young children. Frankly, this has not been a good day. I mean, I've hardly been sick a day in my life and I certainly don't feel sick now but the doctors and everyone here have been really nice. What do you mean I have TB disease? TB is a serious illness. You can get TB after you're infected, after it enters the body, if the body defenses break down or you may already have inactive TB bacteria in your body and it becomes active when the defenses of the body break down. This may be due to aging, illness, drug or alcohol abuse or HIV infection. Now what this means is that the bacteria that is in the body encapsulated breaks through that wall and it can multiply. It can make you sick and if not treated it can kill you. I mean, at least I'm not in the hospital or anything like that and they caught it early enough and hopefully I can tell my friends and my family to get tested as well so in case they have it they can get caught early enough. Tell me what I have to do to get better. You need to take at least four different medications. People on TB treatment must take medication for at least six months. The Department of Health offers services to help patients complete their treatment. How can I keep up with all those medications? Well, the Department of Health offers a program known as the DOT program and that stands for Directly Observed Therapy. We send healthcare workers to your house and they watch you in essence take your medication and we try to make it convenient for you and we try to fit into your daily routines so we can come to your job or we can come to your house or you can come to us. Yeah, but if I feel better, why do I have to continue taking my medicine? Even though you feel better, you still have active bacteria in your body. If you stop taking your medication the bacteria can multiply. It's possible for you to become drug resistant and that'll make it harder to cure the disease. TB disease and I took the medicine at first and I was feeling a little I was feeling a little better but I didn't keep up with it so when I started to feel bad I was afraid to tell anyone I just ignored it, you know and I thought it would go away. When we finally found Cecilia she was in bad shape she even infected our kids. Thank goodness we found them in time they're all on preventive treatment now and they're going to be okay. It's hard on her though because now she has to take more medication than before but she's doing fine. She hasn't missed a day of medication. Well, I know I did the wrong thing because I'm paying for it, you know and so are my kids. I spent like four months in the hospital and I almost died. I don't know I was really close to losing the fight and I did it to myself and I would just tell other people you know, don't do what I did just take care of yourself and take your medicine. The medicine is generally safe but it is important to tell your doctor right away if you notice any of the following side effects nausea, vomiting your skin turns yellow your urine becomes dark your vision changes you develop a fever, numbness or tingling your feet or a rash. What do I have to do to keep it from spreading? Well, the best way to keep it from spreading is to take your medication as prescribed and while you're contagious you shouldn't go to work and please remember that when you cough or sneeze use the tissue to cover your mouth. If you take your medication as prescribed in a few weeks you'll no longer be contagious you can go back to your life as normal. There's no shame with blaming TB anyone can get it. I need to help you. I'm taking preventive medicine and I know I'm gonna be alright. I'm on directly observed therapy I'm getting better. If you take your medicine TB doesn't have to mean the end of your life or anything like that. Keep up with your medicine don't stop and do it for your children.