would you opt out?

EMT12resq · May 2013

I work at a hospital and we are mandated to get TB screenings annually. My annual evaluation is coming up and Im supposed to get my TB shot but Im thinking of opting out until the baby is born. Anyone gotten one while pregnant? Would you opt out?

KingLED · May 2013

I've had TB tests while pregnant. They're perfectly safe.

PrimRoseMama · May 2013

I would not opt out. It is important to get screened. From the CDC: "The tuberculin skin test is considered both valid and safe to use throughout pregnancy. The TB blood test is safe to use during pregnancy, but has not been evaluated for diagnosing M. tuberculosis infection in pregnant women. Other tests are needed to show if a person has TB disease."

"Untreated tuberculosis TB disease represents a greater hazard to a pregnant woman and her fetus than does its treatment. Treatment of pregnant women should be initiated whenever the probability of TB is moderate to high. Infants born to women with untreated TB may be of lower birth weight than those born to women without TB and, in rare circumstances the infant may be born with TB. Although the drugs used in the initial treatment regimen for TB cross the placenta, they do not appear to have harmful effects on the fetus."

For More Information
CDC. Treatment of tuberculosis. MMWR 2003; 52 No. RR11.

Errata

American Thoracic Society/CDC. Targeted tuberculin testing and treatment of latent TB infection. . PDF MMWR 2000: 49No. RR6.

CDC. Guidelines for using the QuantiFERONTB Gold test for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, United States . PDF MMWR 2005; 54 No. RR15.

CDC. Recommendations for Use of an IsoniazidRifapentine Regimen with Direct Observation to Treat Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection. MMWR 2011;60:16501653.

Targeted Tuberculosis TB Testing and Treatment of Latent TB Infection Slide Set