DonnaElvira

We are currently going through the Green Card process, and our medicals
showed us to be positive for TB. Not surprising since, along with (I
believe) everyone else in the UK, we were vaccinated against TB as
teenagers.

Our doc now says that: "even tho you've been immunized it is assumed
that you have "latent TB" meaning that the bacteria are walled off
somewhere - with a 10% chance lifetime of creating active TB in each of
you
.we generally recommend that patients take isonizad x 9 months in your
situations to decrease the active TB risk to about 1 %".

I am gathering information on the Net about this but would be grateful
for any informed British opinions. I am extremely reluctant to take a
powerful antibiotic for 9 months. Surely the British government would
not have this vaccination programme if there was a real risk?

I'm surprised that this does not seem to have come up here before. Has
no one else faced this problem?

TIA for any explanations or advice.

Bionomique

    > We are currently going through the Green Card process, and our
    > medicals showed us to be positive for TB. Not surprising since, along
    > with (I believe) everyone else in the UK, we were vaccinated against
    > TB as teenagers.
    > Our doc now says that: "even tho you've been immunized it is assumed
    > that you have "latent TB" meaning that the bacteria are walled off
    > somewhere - with a 10% chance lifetime of creating active TB in each
    > of you
    > ..we generally recommend that patients take isonizad x 9 months in
    > your situations to decrease the active TB risk to about 1 %".
    > I am gathering information on the Net about this but would be grateful
    > for any informed British opinions. I am extremely reluctant to take a
    > powerful antibiotic for 9 months. Surely the British government would
    > not have this vaccination programme if there was a real risk?
    > I'm surprised that this does not seem to have come up here before. Has
    > no one else faced this problem?
    > TIA for any explanations or advice.

Did they suggest a chest x-ray? I was under the impression that this
would demonstrate whether the TB was an active infection or not.

DonnaElvira

    > Did they suggest a chest x-ray? I was under the impression that this
    > would demonstrate whether the TB was an active infection or not.

Oh yes, we are having to have a chest X-ray. But our doc is saying
that we would need antibiotic treatment regardless of what it dhows
because, according to her, there is a 10% irsk of it developing into
full-blown TB.

By this logic 10% of the UK population would develop TB, right? Or am I
missing something?

I'm just surprised that this doesn't seem to have come up here. Surely
all Brits have been vaccinated against Tb when they were at school?

Jjmb

    > We are currently going through the Green Card process, and our
    > medicals showed us to be positive for TB. Not surprising since, along
    > with (I believe) everyone else in the UK, we were vaccinated against
    > TB as teenagers.
    > Our doc now says that: "even tho you've been immunized it is assumed
    > that you have "latent TB" meaning that the bacteria are walled off
    > somewhere - with a 10% chance lifetime of creating active TB in each
    > of you
    > ..we generally recommend that patients take isonizad x 9 months in
    > your situations to decrease the active TB risk to about 1 %".
    > I am gathering information on the Net about this but would be grateful
    > for any informed British opinions. I am extremely reluctant to take a
    > powerful antibiotic for 9 months. Surely the British government would
    > not have this vaccination programme if there was a real risk?
    > I'm surprised that this does not seem to have come up here before. Has
    > no one else faced this problem?
    > TIA for any explanations or advice.

My husband had a positive reaction to the TB test but wasn't told to do
anything. He was told that despite being vaccinated against this
disease, he had probably been in close contact with someone who had the
active disease and that was the reason why it showed up. The only thing
other thing he was told, was never to have the test again as it will
have an even bigger reaction than this time.

Both myself and my eldest daughter were vaccinated but had no
reaction. She was vaccinated 6 yrs ago and I was vaccinated at the
age of 5 because my grandfather died from it and my mother who was
pregnant at the time, came up positive. My sister was vaccinated just
after she was born.

On my search on the net for answers, I discovered that the reason the US
doesn't vaccinate is because it doesn't work for everyone, so they opt
for the more toxic drug alternatives.

So no real answers but the place where we went didn't seem to be too
bothered by the result. He had a chest x-ray, nothing show up.


Just look up the thread on the Britnet site and came across this:

"On the greencard medical forms it told everything that they did and
that the x-ray came up clear. I did not need any medication because the
x-ray was clear. so I have no idea why your doctor has told you
otherwise."

Bionomique

    > Oh yes, we are having to have a chest X-ray. But our doc is saying
    > that we would need antibiotic treatment regardless of what it dhows
    > because, according to her, there is a 10% irsk of it developing into
    > full-blown TB.
    > By this logic 10% of the UK population would develop TB, right? Or am
    > I missing something?
    > I'm just surprised that this doesn't seem to have come up here. Surely
    > all Brits have been vaccinated against Tb when they were at school?

Many individuals test positive as a result of having the BCG (Bacille
Calmette-Guerin) vaccine - a live, weakened strain of Mycobacterium
bovis. The positive effect of BCG does not extend to the adult years.
Thus, many people can develop active tuberculosis even though they
received BCG, even in multiple doses, in earlier years.


If you have a positive reaction to the TB skin test and have received
BCG, the physician should consider certain factors - the extent of the
reaction, if you are from a country of high incidence, whether you have
had contact with a person with active TB, how many doses of BCG you have
received. If you received multiple tests, there is more of a chance of
a positive result. If it is "latent" a chest x-ray will show no
evidence, if the postiive result is due to "inactive" infection, the
chest x-ray shows previous evidence of the disease.

Typically, if you are under 35 yrs old and have no contraindications
antibiotics are recommended to prevent an active case from developing.

Englishnurse

    > Many individuals test positive as a result of having the BCG (Bacille
    > Calmette-Guerin) vaccine - a live, weakened strain of Mycobacterium
    > bovis. The positive effect of BCG does not extend to the adult years.
    > Thus, many people can develop active tuberculosis even though they
    > received BCG, even in multiple doses, in earlier years.
    > If you have a positive reaction to the TB skin test and have received
    > BCG, the physician should consider certain factors - the extent of the
    > reaction, if you are from a country of high incidence, whether you
    > have had contact with a person with active TB, how many doses of BCG
    > you have received. If you received multiple tests, there is more of a
    > chance of a positive result. If it is "latent" a chest x-ray will
    > show no evidence, if the postiive result is due to "inactive"
    > infection, the chest x-ray shows previous evidence of the disease.
    > Typically, if you are under 35 yrs old and have no contraindications
    > antibiotics are recommended to prevent an active case from developing.

as part of your medical do you have to recieve the bgc vaccine then if
you have not had it in the past?

DonnaElvira

    > as part of your medical do you have to recieve the bgc vaccine then if
    > you have not had it in the past?

No - the US does not believe in BGC vaccination. Which is why we seem to
be having this problem...

Welcome to the immigration maze!

Englishnurse

    > No - the US does not believe in BGC vaccination. Which is why we seem
    > to be having this problem...
    > Welcome to the immigration maze!

yes a maze without any directions! lol

Englishnurse

    > No - the US does not believe in BGC vaccination. Which is why we seem
    > to be having this problem...
    > Welcome to the immigration maze!

my husband will be pleased he hates needles!

Rete

    > Oh yes, we are having to have a chest X-ray. But our doc is saying
    > that we would need antibiotic treatment regardless of what it dhows
    > because, according to her, there is a 10% irsk of it developing into
    > full-blown TB.
    > By this logic 10% of the UK population would develop TB, right? Or am
    > I missing something?
    > I'm just surprised that this doesn't seem to have come up here. Surely
    > all Brits have been vaccinated against Tb when they were at school?

It has come up often over the last 7 years.

If all the Brits were vaccinated againt TB as children then it would
mean that the hundreds of Brits who have used the marriage-based forum
for immigration assistance for Fiancee and Spousal Visas would have had
to do what you doctor told you that you had to do. They didn't and were
still given a visa. If the test comes back positive, one needs the xray
to show that the chest is clear. If you have a copy of the vaccination
records that show when you received the original vaccination that would
be double gold.