Perhaps due to the fact that my mother, who was a RN died from TB, I am overly cautious. Maybe you should set your risk factor a little higher too.
I am sorry about your mother. My risk factor is high enough that I always evaluate for TB as a potential factor when presented with ID symptoms. There isn’t much else to do, other than find a new line of work, and I am way too old for that.
I take precautions when working in areas where the population lives closely and where the population is generally poor. These are the environments where TB tends to be prevalent. Immigrants from some countries also have higher liklihood of having TB, but they tend to be found in the poorer neighborhoods as well.
I speak Spanish and try to build relationships in some of the higher risk neighborhoods. I ask around regularly about anyone who might show symptoms of TB.
However, all of this doesn’t change the fact that only those with active TB are contagious. It also doesn’t change the fact that people with active TB are invariably and visibly ill. Those that have latent TB should be treated, to avoid an occurance of the disease later on, but they are of no risk to me or anyone else.