Please note that TB skin testing requires two visits: first, to have the actual test administered and; second, a return visit 48-72 hours later for an official interpretation or “reading” of the test result.

Test Dates	Return Visit for Reading
Tues., January 24, 2012	Thurs., January 26, 2012
Tues., January 31, 2012	Thurs., February 2, 2012

Time: 3:30-5:00PM
Location: 106 Loser Hall
Fee: $5 cash

Classroom Field Experiences, including JPE and Student Teaching in New Jersey Schools:

The New Jersey Department of Education is required by the State Department of Health to obtain the following from our students:

Documentation of a negative TB test result in the last 6 months before your first classroom field experience (which usually occurs in your sophomore or junior year) OR documentation of a positive TB test result, regardless of when this test was done, is required.

You do NOT need a TB test if you have less than 20 hours per month of pupil contact.

Annual testing is NOT required.

Once you have submitted this documentation, retesting is NOT required when transferring between school districts.

If the school nurse requires you to provide proof of TB testing that is not in accordance with the above paragraph, please notify the Director of TCNJ Student Health Services via e-mail at health@tcnj.edu or contact Student Health Services at (609) 771-2483.

You will be given documented proof of your negative tuberculosis test when you return for your reading. This is YOUR PERSONAL COPY and is NOT to be given away.  If you need to provide someone with this document (i.e., STEP Office), make a copy of the one you have.

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The TB (Mantoux) test:

The Mantoux (pronounced ‘Man-two’) skin test can show if a person has every been exposed and infected by tuberculosis (TB) germs.  TB infection does not mean the person has the disease, but if someone has been infected there is a chance that they may get sick with TB in the future.

The Mantoux test is a simple and safe test.  It is NOT a vaccination. A small amount of liquid is injected just under the top layer of skin on a person’s arm using a tiny sterile needle and syringe.  Forty-eight to 72 hours later the skin reaction, if any, is measured and the result is recorded.  An interpretation is made as to whether the test is positive or negative.

NOTE: If you have recently had a vaccination containing a live virus, such as MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella), nasal spray type Influenza (flu) vaccine, or Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccine, you must wait 4-6 weeks after vaccination before a TB test can be given in order to avoid false negative reactions.

Your TB skin test site must be accessed or “read” by a TCNJ Student Health Services’ nurse 48 to 72 hours following test administration.  Please note our hours so you can plan your return within this time period.  Test readings are not done between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m.  A reading involves looking at the site of the injection.  Please allow at least 1/2 hour waiting time when returning to Student Health Services for a reading.

This test can also be “read” be a school nurse or physician trained to do so.  If you have obtained a reading of the result by a healthcare practitioner outside of TCNJ Student Health Services, please bring an official (on office letterhead or stamp) record of the date and result of the reading to Student Health Services for your file.  Please note that once 72 hours has passed without the test being “read”, the test is void and you will need to be retested.

BCG

A TB test will be performed regardless of whether or not you have had BCG in the past.

Positive TB Tests

If your test is read as positive and you do not have any symptoms of TB active disease, your participation in field experiences will not be limited.  You will be required, however, to obtain a chest x-ray.  An appointment will be made at the time of your reading for you to evaluate your current health status and discuss your TB test result with a Student Health Services’ nurse practitioner.  The nurse practitioner will give you a prescription for a chest x-ray and refer you to a local imaging facility.  If you are enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), the cost of this x-ray will be covered.  If you do not have SHIP, you will be given a prescription for the chest x-ray and advised to check with your parents (if applicable), health insurance company or primary care provider to find out where you can obtain the x-ray.

If your x-ray is normal, you do not have active tuberculosis.  However, you may have latent tuberculosis.  Latent tuberculosis is not contagious, but you are infected with tuberculosis bacteria and may be a candidate for treatment.  TCNJ Student Health Services will consult with the Mercer County Tuberculosis Services and you may be referred to this facility or to your own personal health care provider for treatment.  Treatment consists of taking a pill for approximately 9 months.  There is no charge for treatment medication at any of the New Jersey County Tuberculosis Services.  Since there is a 10% chance that latent TB will become active TB in an infected person’s lifetime, especially within the first 2 years of your first positive reaction to a TB skin test, we strongly encourage you to consider treatment.  To learn more about Tuberculosis and the TB skin test, please visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/faqs/qa.htm.

• Once you have tested positive to a TB skin test, further testing will continue to show a positive reaction.  Your reaction can also become progressively worse.
• You must provide Student Health Services with the date of your last TB test, the result, the radiologist’s report of your chest x-ray, and the treatment, if any, that was provided to you.