Mantoux test
Last edited: 20/12/2022
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This information is for people having a Mantoux test – a screening tool for Tuberculosis (TB).
The test involves injecting a small amount of a substance – called tuberculin – into the outer skin layer of the forearm. The area on the arm is assessed after two or three days, to see what type of reaction has happened. During this time the skin may be a little red and itchy.
Make sure you:
- leave the area alone and do not scratch it
- let the air get to it and do not cover it with a plaster
- do not put anything on the area that might change the reaction, such as skin creams or medications, sun lotions, perfume, makeup, shaving foam or beauty treatments
- wash and bathe as normal but keep the area as natural as possible
- are careful with the area but try to forget about it until the reaction is assessed.
Depending on the reaction, you will either be offered a BCG vaccination, further tests to check for TB disease, or nothing further may need to be done.
The test is currently unlicensed in the UK but this does not mean it is unsafe. It is used extensively throughout the world and is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Department of Health (DoH). The test works well at detecting whether a person may have been exposed to TB and it is necessary to have a negative tuberculin skin test before a BCG vaccination can be offered – unless you were born in the UK and are under six-years-old.
Possible side effects
Affecting more than 1 in 100 people
Pain, irritation or discomfort at the injection site immediately after the injection.
Affecting less than 1 in 100 people
Headache, fever, enlargement of regional lymph node (bean-shaped gland, located in many different areas of the body).
Affecting less than 1 in 1,000 people
Anaphylactic (allergic) reactions, hypersensitivity to tuberculin can cause vesiculation (air pockets beneath the skin) and skin necrosis (death of skin cells).
Contact us
Contact your GP for advice or contact our service on:
0300 123 1430
kentchft.tbadmin@nhs.net
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
BCG referrals and the UK BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccination programme
This is a risk-based programme, targeting babies and children who are more likely to have had exposure to TB. The programme is delivered by the TB nursing Service. For further information on this, please visit Public Health England website.
If you think your child is eligible for a BCG vaccination, please contact your health practitioner/GP who will complete the relevant referral form.
Information for healthcare professionals
How to refer a child requiring a BCG from a country with a prevalence of TB ≥ 40/100, 000.
This information should only be followed on the advice of a healthcare professional.
Do you have feedback about our health services?
0800 030 4550
Text 07899 903499
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm
kentchft.PALS@nhs.net
kentcht.nhs.uk/PALS
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Trinity House, 110-120 Upper Pemberton
Ashford
Kent
TN25 4AZ
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