How to Use This Blog

A Wayfarer is a person who is traveling through......life, a particular place, a circumstance, a stage of life, etc. Let's walk the road of adoption together. The journey is so much better with company!
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Much of this information is useful for any adoption, but this blog is designed to be a
RESOURCE BLOG for ETHIOPIAN ADOPTION.
I hope this blog will be helpful to you in your adoption whether you are considering, waiting or home. I started this blog when we were adopting and found there was next to nothing on the web in any orderly manner. I set about to collect information for myself and then for others. Now, there are more sites for resources, but still not much that brings it all together. I hope this blog will serve as a sort of clearing house for Ethiopian Adoption Information. Please feel free to contribute your knowledge through commenting.
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You can search by topic in three ways. 1. Go to the "key word" tabs on top and open pages of links in those topics. 2. Use the "labels list" in the side bar or 3. use the "search bar" above the labels list. You can also browse the blog by month and year in the Posts section or in any of the above as well. The sidebar links are to sites outside of this blog. While I feel they provide good information, I can not vouch for each site with an approval rating. Use your own discernment for each. If you have more to add to the topic, please add it in the comment section of that page or post.
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And, please link to The Wayfarer Adoption Blog by putting my button on
your blog so others can use this resource too. Please link to this blog when ever you can and whenever you re-post things (or images) you have found here. Thanks!
The solid tabs are links to my other blogs for books and family. Check them out if you are interested.
Welcome to the journey!

Monday, June 7, 2010

BCG ,TB test and tuburculosis

I am getting my mind wrapped around this issue of tuburculosis. Here is what I know from on line discussions, etc. If anyone has anything to add to this PLEASE DO comment!
Most children are given what is called a BCG in Ethiopia, it is a shot which is an immunization for Tuberculosis. The shot leaves a circular scar on the upper arm of the child. This is a good way to tell if your child has had it since there are so few records.
If your child has had a BCG *which took* (was effective) he or she will test positive on a regular skin scratch TB test here in the states. A more specialized test is required to see if the child actually needs treated or not. You will have to push for this. Many child DO NOT need treated. They will just show up positive all the time and not have it. I understand that a chest X ray will help to confirm this. Being treated if you do not need to be treated is not going to harm the child, but extra medications are hard on the system and they likely have a rather fragile system as it is.
Some children actually DID have Tuberculosis and because of this will test positive even though they do not have it and treatment will not be helpful. Also in this case, a chest X ray will confirm.

Wikipedia on BCG
This is the page you need to print off and take to the Doctor with info on the BCG.
http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/prevention/BCG.htm

PDF version
excerpt from the above PDF document:
Testing for TB in BCG-Vaccinated Persons:
"The tuberculin skin test (TST) and blood tests to detect TB infection are not contraindicated for persons who have been vaccinated with BCG.
Tuberculin Skin Test (TST). BCG vaccination may cause a false-positive reaction to the TST, which may complicate decisions about prescribing treatment. The presence or size of a TST reaction in persons who have been vaccinated with BCG does not predict whether BCG will provide any protection against TB disease. Furthermore, the size of a TST reaction in a BCG-vaccinated person is not a factor in determining whether the reaction is caused by LTBI or the prior BCG vaccination. (See below for specific guidance on skin test results.)
TB Blood Tests. Blood tests to detect TB infection, unlike the TST, are not affected by prior BCG vaccination and are less likely to give a false-positive result."

Treatment for LTBI in BCG-Vaccinated Persons:
Treatment of LTBI substantially reduces the risk that TB infection will progress to disease. Careful assessment to rule out the possibility of TB disease is necessary before treatment for LTBI is started. Evaluation of TST reactions in persons vaccinated with BCG should be interpreted using the same criteria for those not BCG-vaccinated. Persons in the following high-risk groups should be given treatment for LTBI if their reaction to the TST is at least 5 mm of induration or they have a positive result using a TB blood test:
 HIV-infected persons
 Recent contacts to a TB case
 Recent arrivals (less than 5 years) from high-prevalence countries
 Injection drug users
 Residents and employees of high-risk congregate settings (e.g., correctional facilities, nursing homes, homeless shelters, hospitals, and other health care facilities)
 Children less than 4 years of age, or children and adolescents exposed to adults in high-risk categories

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The content on The Wayfarer:Ethiopian Adoption Resource Blog is for informational purposes only. We are adoptive parents, but we are not professionals. The opinions and suggestions expressed here are not intended to replace professional evaluation or therapy, or to supersede your agency. We assume no responsibility in the decisions that families make for their children and families. There are many links on this blog. We believe these other sites have valuable information, but we do not necessarily share all of the opinions or positions represented by each site, nor have we fully researched every aspect of each link. Please keep this in mind when visiting the links from this page.
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