Iom Tb Free Certificate

[BigDave]

Today my girl went to the IOM for her TB examination and got a scare.

On the X Ray a small black spot was shown. She now has to go to another clinic for the next three days for further checks.

I have spoken to my Doctor friend and he says not to worry yet. It may be due to her smoking.

There were three other TG's there today with the same result.

Any of you guys experienced this situation before.

The strange thing is that she has just returned to Thailand after a six month stay in England without any TB examination.

Edited October 16, 2006 by BigDave

[cm das]

Has she already had the skin test with a positive result? It seems odd to go straight to an x-ray. In the states you only get x-rayed after you've had 2 positive skin tests.

[BigDave]

Has she already had the skin test with a positive result? It seems odd to go straight to an x-ray. In the states you only get x-rayed after you've had 2 positive skin tests.

She never mentioned skin tests, seems she had X Ray as first test. Maybe they do things different in Thailand.

[cm das]

The skin test is cheap & easy - it tests for exposure to TB rather than the active disease (you can be exposed without developing active TB, it's not unusual for health care workers). X-rays are used to check for active TB, which is kind of silly if you don't already know that someone has been exposed. For the skin test they prick your arm with a 4-pronged pin that has some agent on it which reacts to TB antibodies. It takes a few days to get a reading but it's safer & cheaper than x-rays by far. Not sure why they'd go straight to an x-ray... unless they're looking to charge your gf more money!

[GU22]

The strange thing is that she has just returned to Thailand after a six month stay in England without any TB examination.

Not strange. The TB test is only required for those seeking entry to the UK for periods of more than 6 months. If her previous entry was as a visitor then a TB test would not have been required.

The X-ray is a standard test required by the British embassy. All applicants will be X-rayed, except of course, pregnant women who will have a sputum test. If the X-ray shows a possible problem then further tests will be carried out. See Requirement for Tuberculosis Testing for Applicants Visiting the UK for Longer than 6 Months

At the IOM clinic, applicants will be tested for pulmonary TB by chest X-ray and, as necessary, sputum smears.

It is not unusual for the X-ray to show a shadow or similar, caused by childhood trauma or smoking or similar. Further tests will be required to ensure that this is the case, and it's not TB.

I hope, BigDave, that everything goes OK for her.

[paully]

Today my girl went to the IOM for her TB examination and got a scare.

On the X Ray a small black spot was shown. She now has to go to another clinic for the next three days for further checks.

I have spoken to my Doctor friend and he says not to worry yet. It may be due to her smoking.

There were three other TG's there today with the same result.

Any of you guys experienced this situation before.

The strange thing is that she has just returned to Thailand after a six month stay in England without any TB examination.

This is actually a lot more common than you'd think and happened to my wife, who is now safely in the UK. If the IOM x-ray shows an 'anomaly', they have a duty to refer the applicant to a clinic in Bangkok where she goes for 3 days to have her sputum tested. If all 3 of the sputum tests are clear, then the IOM will issue a certificate, if 1 is not clear then she will need to re-apply a few months later. Nothing to do with skin tests. Tell her not to worry, it is a chore but a fair few applicants go through it. Every day my wife was at the clinic there were several others too for the same purpose.

One piece of advice: if she successfully gets the IOM certificate and the visa, she will need to carry the original x-ray on the plane with her to show immigration. Yes, the envelopes are cumbersome and awkward to carry on board, but she will save herself a considerable delay in the UK on arrival - my wife had to wait in a long line for 2 hours whilst a new x-ray was done at Heathrow and inspected before she was let through. Not what you need after a 12 hour flight.

Edited October 17, 2006 by paully

[BigDave]

Thanks for your help guys. Fingers crossed for a good result

[Ollie]

Thanks for your help guys. Fingers crossed for a good result

Probably surplus to requirements, but my wife went through the same experience as described by Paully.

She arrives in the UK on the 26th October.