Each year on March 24th World TB Day is observed.
The Florida Department of Health in Lake County will observe World TB Day on Friday, March 23, at the Umatilla Health Center located at 249 E. Collins Street, Umatilla, FL, from 9 am until 11 am. Educational materials will be available and tuberculin skin test will be offered for a fee of $25 per test. The Tuberculosis blood test will also be offered for a fee of $45 per test.
Tuberculosis is one of the world’s deadliest diseases and it is caused by a bacterium called mycobacterium tuberculosis that usually attacks the lungs, but can attack any part of the body, including the kidney, spine and brain. Latent TB can live within the body without making you sick. People with latent TB do not have symptoms, are not infectious and cannot make others sick. The CDC 2018 World TB Day theme is: “Wanted: Leaders for a TB-Free United States – We can make history. End TB”.
The Florida Department of Health’s goal is to join efforts to spread TB awareness and reduce the number of TB cases in the state. TB continues to be a public health threat in Florida and continues to be one of the world’s deadliest diseases. TB is spread through the air and symptoms of the disease include:
• A bad cough that lasts three weeks or longer;
• Pain in the chest;
• Coughing up blood or sputum; and
• Weakness or fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, chills, fever and sweating at night.
Through its statewide TB program and its support of the Florida System of Tuberculosis Care, the department is making significant strides towards its goal to eliminate TB in the state.
To explore resources relating to TB and learn more, visit the department’s website. For additional information about World TB Day 2018, visit the CDC’s World TB Day page. For more information regarding a TB Test, Treatment and Cure, please contact the Florida Department of Health in Lake County at 352-771-5554.
