Tuberculosis (TB) Test

Many jobs in schools, daycares, hospitals and nursing homes, as well as some schools and programs, require a tuberculosis test. At Clínica Hispana Mangum we give the skin test (PPD), schedule your reading and give you a document with your result.

How does the skin test work?

1. Placement: a small amount of fluid is injected just under the skin of the forearm. It takes seconds.
2. Waiting: do not scratch, cover with a bandage or put creams on the area.
3. Reading 48 to 72 hours later: the medical team measures in millimeters whether a firm bump formed (not the redness).

If you do not return within that window, the test cannot be read and must be repeated.

What does a positive result mean?

It shows contact with the tuberculosis bacteria at some point, not necessarily active disease. The next step is a chest X-ray and a symptom review. If you received the BCG vaccine as a child, the skin test may be positive without infection; in that case a blood test is sometimes better.

TB testing for immigration

For the I-693 immigration medical exam, the CDC requires a blood test (IGRA), not the skin test. That test is part of the immigration exam.

Symptoms that need an exam

A cough lasting more than 3 weeks, coughing up blood, fever or night sweats and unexplained weight loss. If you have them, tell us before the test.

We are at 2912 Mangum Rd, Suite A, in northwest Houston, open every day from 9 AM to 9 PM. No insurance needed; ask for the price before your visit. We accept cash, cards and Apple Pay.