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DHEC discusses treatable and preventable diseases that do not have vaccines

DHEC Tuberculosis Division Director discusses tuberculosis rates in South Carolina among other diseases without vaccines.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — In light of World TB Day on Sunday, March 24, DHEC experts explained that there are diseases that still exist in South Carolina, like Tuberculosis, that you can not be vaccinated against but should still be mindful of.

Some illnesses like Tuberculosis, Smallpox, and others no longer have a vaccine, but the agency says doctors see cases annually.

"We average about 85 cases here in South Carolina," said DHEC Tuberculosis Division Director, Amy Painter.

Painter explains South Carolina still sees some cases of Tuberculosis each year.

The disease has been at a low rate in the United States for so long that health professionals saw no need for a vaccine anymore.

Although there is no active use of a vaccine in the U.S., signs and cases of TB still exist. 

"If someone becomes infected with TB, they have been exposed to someone with active disease, they've breathed in the germ. The germ typically goes dormant or what we call 'latent', and at some point in a person's life that germ can wake up and cause disease. When someone has active tuberculosis disease, if it's in the lungs they are coughing, losing weight, having night sweats, and fever. Interestingly enough, many people think that when they are getting tested to see if they have the germ in their body, they confuse this with vaccination," Painter explained. 

According to DHEC data published in 2021, since 2014, the number of cases of vaccine-preventable diseases has been on the rise. The organization specifically recorded an uptick from 2013 to 2021.

However, some diseases that have increased in case numbers do not always come with a vaccine, such as Hepatitis C. This disease continues to account for a large number of communicable disease cases in South Carolina, with over 2,800 chronic Hepatitis C cases reported in 2021.

Another, 87 cases of Legionnaires' Disease in 2021 as well, along with Lyme Disease and several others.

Painter says although none of these diseases offer a vaccine in the United States, you can always be tested for things and get help from your local health organizations. Specifically in cases of Tuberculosis, DHEC offers care, treatment, and testing free of charge to all patients. 

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