On World TB Day, RHHD encourages screening for tuberculosis
March 24 is World TB Day, and officials with the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts are encouraging community members to seek preventative care, screening, and/or treatment for the the disease.
Tuberculosis is caused by germs that can be spread from person to person through the air. Local and state TB data from the Virginia Department of Health show that the City of. Richmond (3.1) and Henrico County (3.0) had higher rates of TB cases per 100,000 people than the statewide average in Virginia (2.6) in 2024.
In 2024, Virginia reported 225 cases of tuberculosis (TB), a 9% increase from the 207 cases reported in 2023. The increase was expected, as local and national TB numbers continued to increase after declines in reported cases during the peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Virginia’s TB case rate increased from 2.4 cases per 100,000 persons in 2023 to 2.6 cases per 100,000 persons in 2024. Virginia’s 2024 rate, as it has in the past, remained below the national rate of 3 cases per 100,000 persons.
“Tuberculosis continues to have an impact on public health in our commonwealth and our districts,” said Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Director Elaine Perry. “World TB Day reminds us of the importance of prevention, diagnosis, and early treatment of this serious infectious disease.”
TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine. A person with TB can die without treatment. People with TB are most likely to spread the germs to people they spend time with every day, such as family members or coworkers.
People who have been around someone who has TB disease should contact their doctor or local health department for tests. RHHD staffers can help people determine which TB test they need.
There are two TB-related conditions: active tuberculosis disease and latent tuberculosis infection or inactive TB. People with active TB disease usually feel sick, have symptoms and can spread TB to others, whereas those with LTBI do not feel sick, do not have symptoms, and cannot spread TB to others.
Most people with inactive TB don’t know that they are infected.
The RHHD Tuberculosis Program works to prevent, identify, and treat tuberculosis in both its latent and active forms. The general symptoms of active TB disease include:
• feelings of sickness or weakness;
• weight loss;
• fever;
• night sweats.
The symptoms of active TB disease of the lungs also include:
• coughing (especially a cough that won’t go away);
• chest pain;
• coughing up of blood.
Call (804) 482-5500 to schedule an appointment with the RHHD Tuberculosis Program or visit rhhd.gov for more information on RHHD clinical services, including screenings.
Active TB disease can be treated by taking several drugs for six to 12 months. People who stop taking the drugs too soon can become sick again, and if the drugs are not taken correctly, germs that are still alive in the body may become resistant to those drugs.
People at higher risk of developing active TB from inactive TB include:
• people with HIV;
• children younger than 5 years of age;
• people recently infected with TB bacteria;
• people with inadequately treated active TB ;
• anyone whose immune system is suppressed either from a medical condition or medications that are taking (TNF alpha antagonists, system steroids, etc.);
• people with diabetes;
• people with low body weight;
• people who are medically underserved.
World TB Day is recognized each year on March 24, commemorating the date in 1882 on which Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes TB.
