We need to talk about ..... TB Screening
A recent study was carried out by researchers at the Imperial College London and other TB services around the world which revealed that 70% of latent or hidden cases of TB were being missed. The media coverage has suggested that experts are calling for a change in the screening policy of immigrants to use a new blood test rather than the traditionally used x-rays.
Latent TB is when a patient is infected with mycrobacterium tuberculosis but they do not have active TB. While it is not possible to catch TB from someone with latent TB it is possible for the carrier to develop active TB at which stage that person will become infectious.
The study suggests that a simple blood test know as a Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) will assist in detecting the majority of latent cases and assist in reducing the number of cases of TB in the UK. Another study earlier this year has highlighted the fact that TB cases have risen in the UK by 50% since 1999 which is a worrying statistic.
Once a person is diagnosed with TB they can be effectively treated with a course of antibiotics so hopefully with this new method of screening the rise in cases can be brought under control.
TB is a serious condition and can lead to complication especially in young children or people with autoimmune diseases.
Here at JMW we represented a child in a clinical negligence compensation claim in relation to a hospitals error in detecting TB. The client was exposed to a patient with suspected TB whilst in hospital. Unfortunately, our client was not offered any tests to detect TB and as a consequence developed TB meningitis and fell gravely ill. Thankfully our client recovered but sadly developed cerebral palsy and was left significantly disabled.
We hope that with the results of these recent studies more cases of latent TB can be more quickly and cost effectively detected and cases like our clients can be avoided.
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