What does a positive skin test mean?
A positive skin test can mean one of the following: 1. A vaccination in the past You may have had a vaccination against TB, known as a BCG vaccination, when you were a child. It is unlikely your reaction to the skin test will be large, as the effects of this vaccine decrease with time. 2. TB Infection You have TB germs in your body but they are NOT growing and making you sick. At this stage, you cannot infect other people. 3. TB Disease You have active growing TB germs in your body and they may make you feel sick. If you have TB disease, you can infect others with your TB germs. If you have a positive skin test, you will need to have more tests to determine which of the three categories shown above apply to you. A chest x-ray will be done to see if your lungs are affected. If your x-rays are abnormal, or you are feeling sick, you will be asked to give a sputum (spit) sample to test for TB germs.
