Why are International students from high-risk countries the only ones required to be tested for Tuberculosis (TB)?
According to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control, active TB disease can be prevented if screening is provided for those at high risk. What makes a country “high-risk” are the numbers of cases of active TB disease in the population. Coughing is the primary means of transmission through germs in air droplets. It has the potential to be very contagious. Testing for TB is required of several other groups. Annual TB testing is required for some U.S. health care workers and encouraged for all those persons working with at risk patients. All persons who spend or have spent more than 3 months in a high-risk country must also be tested. These groups, in addition to international students from high-risk countries, are at higher risk for TB than most K-State students.
