CCC asked
I received a flu vaccine and TB test on 11/4/19 for pre-employment in a healthcare facility. I have to repeat the TB test in 2-4 weeks. I have even on a waiting list for over a year to get the shingles vaccine and can get it this weekend. Are there any time restrictions for the shingles vaccine and TB test? Do I need to wait a period of time in between?
At a glance
- A TST (tuberculin skin test) can be given at any time before or after receiving Shingrix, the shingles vaccine recommended by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). Shingrix is not a live vaccine and does not interfere with the tuberculin skin test.
- A TST (tuberculin skin test) can be given at the same time as Zostavax. However, if Zostavax is given a day before or earlier, you must delay a TST by at least 4 weeks. Zostavax is a live vaccine and can increase the likelihood of a false-negative test.
Answer
Hello and thank you for reaching out to us!
It can sometimes be difficult to find information on appropriate vaccination schedules, especially when special situations thrown in...like having a TB (tuberculosis) skin test around the same time you are due for vaccination.
Things get especially confusing with the TB test specifically (which is also referred to as the Tuberculin Skin Test) since there are different recommendations depending on the type of vaccine you are getting.
For example, if the vaccine you have recently been administered is a 'live' vaccine, you need to wait 4 weeks after receiving the vaccine to get a TB test, since it could potentially cause a 'false-negative' test result.
Fortunately, Shingrix, the shingles vaccine that is recommended by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), is not a live vaccine. You can have your TB test done any time before or after receiving Shingrix. They do not interfere with one another.
Conversely, the other shingles vaccine, Zostavax (which isn't the recommended one but still can be given if you have a medical reason why you can't get Shingrix), is a live vaccine.
If you don't receive Zostavax and get a TB test on the same day, you need to wait four weeks.
The 'Ask The Experts' section on Immunize.org touched on this very topic and I have included an excerpt below:
References
- Testing for Tuberculosis (TB).CDC
- Ask The ExpertsImmunization Action Coalition
- Vaccine Recommendations and Guidelines of the ACIP.CDC
