Introduction

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. While this bacteria usually attacks the lungs, TB bacteria can also attack any part of the body, e.g., the kidney, spine, and/or the brain. However, the TB bacteria can live in the body without making you sick. This is called latent TB infection.

In most people who breathe in TB bacteria and become infected, the body is able to fight the bacteria to stop them from growing. People with latent TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. People with latent TB infection are not infectious and cannot spread TB bacteria to others.

Public Health Impact

There are an estimated 80,000 people with latent TB infection (LTBI) in Clark County, NV and most new cases of active TB come from this pool of people (approximately one in every ten individuals with LTBI will develop active TB in their lifetime).

Unfortunately, limited resources do not allow the health district’s TB Control Program to diagnose and offer treatment to all individuals with LTBI. In order to better serve the ever expanding needs of Southern Nevada, effective immediately, the health district’s TB Clinic will provide the following services:

• Treatment to persons with confirmed or suspected pulmonary TB
• Close contacts to active Pulmonary TB cases
• Follow-up TB Screening for Immigrants & Refugees (class B)
• Epidemiological Surveillance
• Quality Control and Research
• Education and Outreach
• Medical Provider Consultations

Position

The health district is always seeking ways to improve services to Southern Nevada. As a result of our continuous improvement process, effective December 1, 2013; the Southern Nevada Health District will no longer accept referrals for employment and general TB screening, nor provide routine TB screening for work or school.

Local medical centers/hospitals/health care organizations and health care providers will need to provide screening/treatment for their employees in accordance with guidelines set forth in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Core Curriculum on Tuberculosis: What the Clinician Should Know.¹

Who needs to know this information?

All Clark County, Nevada health care organizations, employee health services and their rule-making bodies. For additional information call 702-759-1015.

¹ CDC, What the Clinician Should Know, December 9, 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/tb/education/corecurr/

TB Reporting – Online: Reporting Form
Phone: (702) 759-1015
Fax: (702) 759-1435

Report by Phone or Fax

HIV/AIDS/STDs
Phone: (702) 759-0727
Fax: (702) 759-1454

Tuberculosis
Phone: (702) 759-1015
Fax: (702) 759-1435

Foodborne Illness Outbreaks & Other Diseases
Phone: (702) 759-1300
Fax: (702) 759-1414