County urges residents get tested for tuberculosis

Gig Conaughton

County of San Diego Communications Office

County public health officials are encouraging at-risk San Diegans to get simple blood or skin tests to find out if they may unknowingly have a tuberculosis infection as the world observed World Tuberculosis Day Friday, March 24.

Public health officials estimate that 175,000 San Diegans could be walking around with a hidden – but curable – tuberculosis infection. People with “latent” TB infections have no symptoms and cannot infect others.

However, if that person’s immune system weakens, the infection can be triggered into a dangerous, h...