WA Tuberculosis Control Program
The Western Australian Tuberculosis Control Program (external site) (WATBCP) provides a statewide outpatient public health service. The program accommodates the needs of adult and paediatric clients and promotes family-based care. Although the target clientele for the program is the entire community, emphasis is invariably on the following high-risk groups:
- People from high tuberculosis (TB) prevalence countries (especially migrants on health undertakings or of refugee status, residency applications, illegal entrants)
- People who have had contact with infectious TB
- Socially disadvantaged groups
- Those with medical conditions known to predispose to TB
- Special occupational groups (e.g. health care workers).
The program offers a comprehensive service; a medical assessment, pathology collection and radiology (chest X-ray) are usually performed within the centre. All clients suspected of having TB or on TB treatment are assigned a nursing case manager who provides support on an individual basis, ensuring effective care delivery through the implementation and evaluation of the case management plan.
Find out about the management of tuberculosis (TB) in Western Australia
Management of tuberculosis (TB) in Western Australia video transcript
Speaker 1
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection. It's caused by a bacteria, a germ that is spread in the air.
Speaker 2
TB is passed on when someone who does not have TB breathes in the TB bacteria from someone who already has active TB disease in the lungs.
Speaker 1
It can cause a serious infection in the lungs. In about 70% of patients. But it can actually even spread beyond the lungs or any other part of the body.
Speaker 2
So there is two different types of TB. You have what we call active TB disease and latent TB infection. Active TB disease is when you are actually unwell with TB and you are showing signs and symptoms. With latent TB infections, we also call it sleeping TB because the infection is dormant in your body.
Speaker 1
The typical symptoms are in your lungs. So we say a cough that lasts for more than three weeks, if you might produce a bit of phlegm. And then you get symptoms outside of the lungs, which are very nonspecific but important, like slow weight loss, loss of energy, palatal sweats, low grade fever.
Speaker 2
So the TB control program is located here on the Anita Clayton Center in the city. We manage all cases of active and latent TB in Western Australia. That is looking after the patient, diagnosis, treatment and providing medication and what we call case management as well.
Speaker 1
The key test that tells you that might have TB, the chest x ray, which shows a shadow in the lungs and then a phlegm test or a sputum test, which where we grow the bug and that proves the infection.
Speaker 2
Once you've been diagnosed, the TB treatment has is then offered at that point in time. The doctor will discuss with you various options for what treatment may be suitable for you.
Speaker 1
We have case management nurses, and their one of their jobs is to support the patient and really ensure that they maintain the pills, taking them exactly as prescribed right through to the end, even once they start to feel better. If they stop them early, infection can reoccur and not just reoccur but be drug resistant and harder to treat.
Speaker 2
TB is curable if the medication is taken every day and taken correctly.
Speaker 1
They should not be afraid of seeking treatment. The treatment is difficult, but we support them. It's free of charge and there will be no consequences in terms of their visa or their stay in Australia or ability to work and so forth.
Speaker 2
So it's really important if you're told you have TB to come into the clinic and to see a doctor so that the treatment can be given because TB is curable.