Tuberculosis Program
The mission of Wayne County Public Health’s Tuberculosis (TB) program is to provide surveillance, control and prevention of TB in Wayne County. New York State Public Health Law and the State Sanitary Code require reporting of all suspected and confirmed TB cases to the local health department where a person resides.
What is Tuberculosis?
TB is a communicable disease. It is an airborne bacterium meaning that it spreads through the air by coughing, sneezing and exhalations of someone who has active TB. Normally tuberculosis infects the lungs, but it can also infect other parts of the body.
Identifying Tuberculosis
The first step in identifying if you have TB is to have a Tuberculosis Skin Test (TST). Many Employers require an initial TST upon hire and then again if symptoms develop or exposure is identified. Wayne County Public Health provides Tuberculosis Skin Testing (TST) clinics every Monday (except holidays) from 9am to 11am, walk-ins welcome.
My Tuberculosis Test came back positive
You will need other tests, such as a physical examination, chest x-ray, and lab work to determine if you have latent or active TB disease. Cases of active and latent TB disease are reported to the department by physicians, hospitals and laboratories. Under Public Health Law the Public Health Department is mandated to monitor and manage all tuberculosis cases of residents in Wayne County.
The Tuberculosis Program is coordinated by:
Veronica Lafave-Boughton, RN
(315) 946-5749
Dr. Mary Kate Hinkle, MD Infectious Disease
TB Medical Consultant
Additional Tuberculosis Resources
Contact the program coordinator if you are interested in more information about this topic, such as educational materials, presentations, and resources.
