Respiratory Illnesses Homepage

Preventing Respiratory Illnesses

 

Tuberculosis (TB)

    1. Anyone can get TB.

    2. TB disease is one of the world's leading infectious disease killers.

    3. TB is not a disease of the past and can happen anywhere, including the United States.

    4. Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

    5. Two TB-related conditions exist: inactive TB and active TB disease.

      1. Inactive TB: TB germs can live in the body without making you sick. People with inactive TB are infected with TB germs, but they do not have active TB disease. They do not feel sick, do not have any symptoms, and cannot spread TB to others.

        Without treatment, people with inactive TB can develop active TB disease at any time and become sick.

      2. Active TB: TB germs become active if the immune system can’t stop them from growing. People with active TB disease feel sick. They may also be able to spread the germs to people they spend time with every day. Without treatment, active TB disease can be fatal.

  • Symptoms of active TB disease include:

    • A cough that lasts three weeks or longer

    • Chest pain

    • Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)

    • Weakness or fatigue

    • Weight loss

    • Loss of appetite

    • Chills

    • Fever

    • Night sweats

    People with inactive TB do not have symptoms. However, without treatment, they can develop active TB disease and become sick.

  • PPD Skin Test:

    • Small injection in inner surface of the forearm forming a small pale bump.

    • Patient returns 48 hours later to have the results read.

    Blood Test:

    • Patient's blood is drawn and sent to lab for analysis using 1 of 2 approved tests.

Measles Information

    1. Measles is a very contagious disease. One person with measles can easily pass it on to 9 out of 10 people around them who are unvaccinated or do not have natural immunity. 

    2. Measles can be very dangerous, especially for babies and immunocompromised adults, and a significant proportion of measles cases will need hospitalization. One in 5 infected persons develops pneumonia, which could be fatal. In some cases, a brain infection may occur and result in swelling, brain damage or death. 

    3. Herd immunity is crucial for preventing disease outbreaks in the community and protecting vulnerable populations who cannot receive vaccines. It can be achieved by 95% of a community being fully vaccinated by two doses of the MMR vaccine. 

    4. Jefferson County’s measles vaccination rate of 92.67% is too low to protect our kids from outbreaks based on preliminary school-reported data. 

    5. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provides 97% lifetime protection against measles.

  • Measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus. Common measles symptoms include:

    • High fever (may spike to more than 104° F)

    • Cough

    • Runny nose (coryza)

    • Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)

    • Rash

    • Two doses of the MMR vaccine are recommended by doctors as the best way to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella.

    • Children may get 2 doses of MMRV vaccine instead.

    • MMR & MMRV vaccines usually protect people for life against measles and rubella; but immunity against mumps may decrease over time.

    Measles vaccination is available at JCHD by appointment. You can also find a list of vaccination locations on Vaccines.gov.

    Measles Vaccination | Measles (Rubeola) | CDC

COVID Information

    1. COVID-19 most often causes respiratory symptoms that can feel much like a cold, the flu, or pneumonia.

    2. COVID-19 may attack more than your lungs and respiratory system. Other parts of your body may also be affected by the disease.

    3. Most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, but some people become severely ill.

    4. Anyone infected with COVID-19 can spread it, even if they do NOT have symptoms. COVID-19 can even spread from people to animals in some situations.

    5. Some people, including those with minor or no symptoms, will develop Post-COVID Conditions – also called "Long COVID."

  • People with COVID-19 have a wide range of symptoms ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

    Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Symptoms may start as mild, and some people will progress to more severe symptoms.

    The following list does not include all possible symptoms. Symptoms may change with new COVID-19 variants and can vary depending on vaccination status. Possible symptoms include:

    • Fever or chills

    • Cough

    • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

    • Sore throat

    • Congestion or runny nose

    • New loss of taste or smell

    • Fatigue

    • Muscle or body aches

    • Headache

    • Nausea or vomiting

    • Diarrhea

    • Vaccine recommendations are based on age, time since last dose, and in some cases, the first vaccine received.

    COVID vaccination is available at JCHD by appointment. You can also find a list of vaccination locations on Vaccines.gov.

Flu Information

    1. Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death.

    2. You may be able to spread flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as when you are sick with symptoms.

      • People with flu are most contagious during the first 3 days of their illness.

      • Some otherwise healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after becoming sick.

      • Some people, including young children and people with weakened immune systems, may be contagious for longer periods of time.

    3. It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

    4. It is very difficult to distinguish flu from other viral or bacterial respiratory illnesses based on symptoms alone. There are tests available to diagnose flu.

    5. The best way to prevent flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year.

  • Flu can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Flu symptoms usually come on suddenly. People who have flu often feel some or all of these signs and symptoms:

    • fever* or feeling feverish/chills

    • cough

    • sore throat

    • runny or stuffy nose

    • muscle or body aches

    • headaches

    • fatigue (tiredness)

    • some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

  • Everyone 6 months and older should get the flu vaccine each year, especially people who are considered high risk.

    Seasonal flu vaccines are designed to protect against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season.

    Getting vaccinated in the early fall is best because it takes about 2 weeks for antibodies to develop and offer protection against the flu virus.

    Beginning again in 2024-2025, all flu vaccines in the United States will be “trivalent” vaccines, which means they protect against three different flu viruses: an influenza A(H1N1) virus, an influenza A(H3N2) virus, and an influenza B/Victoria virus.

    Flu vaccination is available at JCHD by appointment. You can also find a list of vaccination locations on Vaccines.gov.