In 2024, TB claimed over 1.2 million lives worldwide. Tuberculosis. The word invokes images of sanatoriums, medical posters, and diseases we assume were conquered long ago. Despite being curable, TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. Every year, millions fall ill including children and young people who slip through the health systems, undiagnosed and untreated.
At Apex Primary Care & Wellness Center, we believe awareness is the first step toward action. This World TB Day, let us talk about why TB still matters, who is at risk, and how a simple screening during your annual physical could save a life.
Why TB Refuses to Disappear
The answer comes down to three things: access, awareness, and equity.
In many parts of the world, diagnostic tools remain out of reach for many. People with symptoms wait months for testing. Treatment regimens require months of adherence—a challenge for anyone, especially families balancing work, school, and survival. Even in countries with robust health systems like the United States, TB persists. It hides in plain sight and it disproportionately affects communities already facing barriers to care.
Here in Houston, our diversity is our strength. It is our collective responsibility to understand, screen, and to treat.
The Invisible: TB in Children and Teens
When we talk about the “missing millions” in TB, we are talking about the youngest among us. Globally, nearly 50% of children with TB are missed by health systems every year. They often receive a diagnosis or treatment.
Why are children missed? TB in young people does not always look like TB.
A child with TB may not have the persistent cough instead, they might experience:
- Unexplained weight loss that parents attribute to picky eating
- Low-grade fevers that come and go
- Fatigue that looks like laziness or disinterest
- Failure to grow as expected
- Night sweats confused with being too bundled at bedtime
- Persistent cold symptoms that never resolves
Teens are vulnerable in school and social settings where close contact is constant. A teenager with undiagnosed TB may experience declining grades, fatigue that affects sports performance, or unexplained fevers that come and go. Often, these symptoms are written off as stress, hormones, or the confusion of adolescence.
How TB Spreads: What Parents Need to Know
TB is airborne. It spreads when someone with active TB coughs, sneezes, or speaking releasing tiny droplets into the air. This means schools, dormitories, sports teams, and family gatherings are potential transmission settings.
Latent TB—the form where someone is infected but not sick—is not contagious. With proper screening and treatment, latent TB can be treated before it becomes active. This is where preventive health services make the difference.
Risk factors:
- Travel or residence in countries where TB is common
- Contact with someone who has active TB
- Group settings like dormitories, schools, shelters, or congregate housing
- Weakened immune systems from diabetes or autoimmune disorders
- Household members who work in healthcare or other high-exposure fields
If any of these apply to your family, a TB screening during an annual physical is required.
What Screening Looks Like
TB screening is minimally invasive. For most children and teens, a TB skin or blood test can determine whether they have been exposed.
Apex Primary Care & Wellness Center, our Houston doctor takes the time to explain, answer questions, and ensure you feel supported through the process.
This World TB Day, Protect the Ones You Love
TB can be a disease of the past if we screen, detect, and treat the cases hiding.
This World TB Day, let us commit to finding the missing millions by starting with our families.
Schedule your annual physical at Apex Primary Care & Wellness Center today. Ask about TB screening. Knowing your risk is not about fear—it is about protecting the people who matter most.