[Between the Lines]

Final TB count: 1

This is the most misleading headline I have ever seen. While 212 tested positive, that only means that sometime in their life they were exposed to the TB virus. It does not mean that they had the disease or that they will develop the disease, only that they had been exposed.

[Bruce Buckley]

It is necessary to first be exposed to the disease before one “gets” it.

My grandmother, a nurse in a TB sanitarium in Wisconsin, died of the disease when my mother was 12.

This scourge had been eliminated, but apologists and rationalizers have carried the day.

[Sherman Logan]

While 212 tested positive, that only means that sometime in their life they were exposed to the TB virus.

Nit. Tuberculosis is cause by a bacterium, not a virus.

[B4Ranch]

>>About 10 percent of latent TB infections eventually become active TB disease, usually because of a compromised immune system.<<

That means that if you catch the flu and have latent TB infections, there is a good chance that the flu will develop into an active tuberculosis disease.

[texastoo]

This is the most misleading headline I have ever seen. While 212 tested positive, that only means that sometime in their life they were exposed to the TB virus. It does not mean that they had the disease or that they will develop the disease, only that they had been exposed.

Read the 4th paragraph. The word latent means dormant. In other words the TB bacteria is just sitting in the exposed body waiting to activate. What triggers that activation is something that we don't know. Just hope you and family are not standing in line at Walmart when the TB bacterium of the exposed decides to activate.

[ikka]

While 212 tested positive, that only means that sometime in their life they were exposed to the TB virus.

About 10% of TB carriers develop active TB, so really the final TB count should be "21".

[HardStarboard]

>>>This is the most misleading headline I have ever seen. <<<

Oh, I see. Care for another piece of chicken? It locally grown right near here in Decatur.

[ga medic]

“Final TB count: 1”

Thanks for the dose of reality into the conversation. Unfortunately, no one seems to care about the facts. Especially the fact that only 1 person in the plant was contagious, and would only contaminate someone who actually came into contact with him.

They just go on talking about how the US is now a third world country. I don’t know if its my misperception, or whether it is getting harder and harder to find the truth in many of these threads.

[zeegrindy]

"Final TB count: 1"

Actually, the article said that TWO employees had active TB, and that the results hadn't come back on the X-rays for the other employees who tested positive. The TWO active cases were the reason for company-wide testing.

Not to mention that a positive tuberculin test is NEVER a good thing. Active TB or not, you are talking about 212 people who have been exposed to TB, some of whom are going to develop active TB at some point if untreated. Is it something that we need to run screaming for the hills about? No. Is it an incredibly serious problem that needs to be addressed NOW? Absolutely.

TB has already regained a foothold in this country. The time to deal with is now, when only a handful have active TB. It will be a true disaster if TB once again becomes as widespread as it was, say, 100 years ago. We are on that path now, which is cause for alarm, although not yet for panic.

(New screen name, but I used to post here a couple years ago. Can't remember my old screen name to save my life.)

[ruthles]

I like your tagline. I assume you’re a Christian who is humble which is sometimes hard to find nowadays.