Question: I live in an apartment and the retired man (in his 60s) downstairs has been continually coughing for four months now every single day by his window. I’m worried that he might have contagious tuberculosis but I don’t want to offend him by asking, “Do you have TB?” or “Why don’t you go see a doctor already?” For all I know he might be under a doctor’s care, but it sure doesn’t sound like it. Weren’t we, at one time, supposed to report TB to the authorities? If so, is it the Department of Health? Can we tip them anonymously? Is there a TB hotline?
Answer: No, there is not a TB hotline for the general public; you may be referring to the fact that Hawaii physicians report all cases and suspected cases to the state Department of Health’s tuberculosis control program at the Lanakila Health Center for diagnosis and treatment.
Program chief Dr. Richard Brostrom, who also is the Pacific regional TB medical officer for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provided information to offer your neighbor in hopes that he will be properly treated for whatever is causing his prolonged illness:
“Although tuberculosis (TB) is present in Hawaii, it is still much less common than other types of bronchitis or pneumonia. So most people with a chronic cough do not have TB. The caring reader should kindly advise the patient to see their primary care clinician to be evaluated for their cough. Hawaii’s primary care clinicians are very skilled at assessing individuals with chronic cough, and referring patients who might have TB to the Lanakila TB Clinic when TB is suspected.
“The patient can also call the Lanakila TB Clinic at 832-5731 to speak to our skilled TB nurses about signs and symptoms of TB. These symptoms usually include a chronic cough of at least three weeks, plus fevers, night sweats or unintended weight loss. There is no TB hotline for the state of Hawaii, but the program does maintain a connection to Hawaii clinicians and hospitals on a 24/7/365 basis.”
According to the CDC website, TB is a bacterial illness that primarily affects the lungs. It can spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes; people nearby may breathe in the bacteria. Transmission generally occurs in close, consistent quarters — such as among family members, friends or co-workers — not due to fleeting contact, such as sitting next to someone who is coughing on a bus. TB is curable with a lengthy course of medication.
Hawaii has among the highest TB rates in the United States. In 2014, 136 total TB cases were reported throughout the state, a rate of 9.6 new cases per 100,000 population, according to the state Health Department’s website. That rate was more than three times as high as the 2013 national TB case rate of 3.0 per 100,000, it said.
Auwe
At Costco Kapolei last week as we were leaving, my wife stopped because a woman was talking to her. Facial expressions told me the woman was upset, and so was my wife. My wife finally said something to the woman and abruptly started to rush to the door. I stopped her and said, “You and that woman were both upset, and I think I’m the reason so I want to know why.” She said the lady was complaining about me being inconsiderate and rude because as we were coming in I was moving so slowly and blocking the way. Evidently someone in a hurry asked me to move but I ignored them. My wife said, “I told her, ‘well, my husband is also deaf,’ and that’s when I decided to leave.” I was shocked that an able-bodied lady, as far as I could see, was complaining that a 73-year-old man with completely white hair, using two crutches and wearing braces on both legs was being inconsiderate for walking too slow, thus blocking other people in a hurry. Talk about inconsiderate. Auwe. — Disabled consumer
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