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Tuberculosis is weird. The CDC estimates that 13M Americans have latent infections. Asymptomatic people are only tested in the US under special circumstances. A

by amluto 4y ago

Tuberculosis is weird. The CDC estimates that 13M Americans have latent infections. Asymptomatic people are only tested in the US under special circumstances. As far as I know, no widespread surveillance or treatment program exists. And yet the actual burden of disease caused by TB in the US seems quite low. As far as I know, no one really knows why TB is not a major problem in the US. But saying that half of active TB patients is a bit like saying that car accidents kill half of the people who are critically injured by a car accident — it may be true (although I made up that last statistic), but it rather overstates the severity of the underlying problem (TB and car accidents).

Swizec 4y ago
> As far as I know, no one really knows why TB is not a major problem in the US Could it be the mandatory vaccination programme? I even had to get a booster as condition for my greencard because it had been 10 years.
- woodruffw 4y ago
  That would be my guess as well. TB vaccination is mandatory for most public schooling in the US, and boosters are common.
  - amluto 4y ago
    Citation needed. The TB vaccine (BCG) is barely used in the US. It is not on the CDC schedule, it’s not routinely given in any school I’ve ever heard of, and it doesn’t seem to be recommended for US-born people at all. I find it surprising that the US even bothers giving it to green card recipients, given that the US has no particular shortage of people with TB infections that can potentially infect people domestically. And the BCG vaccine isn’t even particularly effective.
    - woodruffw 4y ago
      Yeah, I made a mistake: I thought the T in DTaP was tuberculosis, but it's tetanus.
mock-possum 4y ago
> The CDC estimates that 13M Americans have latent infections that is BONKERS I've gotta read up on this more.
- News-Dog 4y ago
  CDC Fact Sheets - TB Infection vs. TB Disease : https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/ltbiandactivetb.htm https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/ltbia... 'TB latent infections vs. active infections'

by amluto 4y ago

Swizec 4y ago

> As far as I know, no one really knows why TB is not a major problem in the US Could it be the mandatory vaccination programme? I even had to get a booster as condition for my greencard because it had been 10 years.

woodruffw 4y ago
That would be my guess as well. TB vaccination is mandatory for most public schooling in the US, and boosters are common.
- amluto 4y ago
  Citation needed. The TB vaccine (BCG) is barely used in the US. It is not on the CDC schedule, it’s not routinely given in any school I’ve ever heard of, and it doesn’t seem to be recommended for US-born people at all. I find it surprising that the US even bothers giving it to green card recipients, given that the US has no particular shortage of people with TB infections that can potentially infect people domestically. And the BCG vaccine isn’t even particularly effective.
  - woodruffw 4y ago
    Yeah, I made a mistake: I thought the T in DTaP was tuberculosis, but it's tetanus.

mock-possum 4y ago

> The CDC estimates that 13M Americans have latent infections that is BONKERS I've gotta read up on this more.

News-Dog 4y ago
CDC Fact Sheets - TB Infection vs. TB Disease : https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/ltbiandactivetb.htm https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/ltbia... 'TB latent infections vs. active infections'