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Positive TBC test, risk for relatives?
My mother in law just got the positive result of quantiferon test. She is symptom-free regarding tuberculosis or lung disease right now, but one year ago spent a month in a hospital due to pneumonia, got a lot of antibiotics and corticosteroids. Back then they didn't perform any specific test for tuberculosis, only chest x-ray that showed pneumonia and "some old" scars in lungs - therefore quantiferon test. Is my 11 yo son at risk of TBC? They used to spend a lot of time together.
Tuberculosis is transmitted by droplets through air: so if mother-in-law' Sputum is AFB+ve, then definitely anyone coming in very close interaction (especially in poorly ventilated rooms) with her is at increased risk of contracting Tb.
Good news is that unless it is multi-drug resistant Tb (MDR-Tb), just few days ( literally within 2 weeks) is enough to make her sputum AFB-negative & non-infective!
Next Steps
Since the consequences are serious, please followup with Infectious expert for counseling & testing, without losing time.
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