How to avoid getting tb?

“TB” is short for a disease called tuberculosis. TB is spread through the air from one person to another. TB germs are passed through the air when someone who is sick with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks, laughs, sings, or sneezes. Anyone near the sick person with TB disease can breathe TB germs into their lungs.

TB germs can live in your body without making you sick. This is called latent TB infection. This means you have only inactive (sleeping) TB germs in your body. The inactive germs cannot be passed on to anyone else. However, if these germs wake up or become active in your body and multiply, you will get sick with TB disease.

When TB germs are active (multiplying in your body), this is called TB disease. These germs usually attack the lungs. They can also attack other parts of the body, such as, the kidneys, brain, or spine. TB disease will make you sick. People with TB disease can spread the germs to people they spend time with every day.

If you have been around someone who has TB disease, you should go to your doctor or your local health department for tests.

There are two tests that can be used to help detect TB infection: a TB skin test or TB blood test. The skin test is used most often. A small needle is used to put some testing material, called tuberculin, under the skin. In 2-3 days, you return to the health care worker who will check to see if there is a reaction to the test. In some cases, a TB blood test is used to test for TB infection. This blood test measures how a person’s immune system reacts to the germs that cause TB.

To tell if someone has TB disease, other tests such as chest x-ray and a sample of sputum (phlegm that is coughed up from deep in the lungs) may be needed.

If you have latent TB infection, you may need medicine to prevent getting TB disease later. One or more drugs are used to treat latent TB infection. It is important that you take your medicine exactly as your doctor or health care worker tells you.

TB disease can also be treated by taking medicine. If you have TB disease, it is very important that you finish the medicine, and take the drugs exactly as you are told. If you stop taking the drugs too soon, you can become sick again. If you do not take the drugs correctly, the germs that are still alive may become difficult to treat with those drugs. If you have TB disease, it takes six months and possibly as long as one year to kill all the TB germs.

Remember, you will always have TB germs in your body unless you kill them with the right medicine.

People who are more likely to get sick from TB disease include:

These people have conditions that make the body weaker, so it is difficult for them to fight TB germs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The CDC has a comprehensive site on tuberculosis, including everything from basic info about TB, to how TB affects certain populations, to the latest data and stats and research efforts.

World Health Organization (WHO)

The WHO offers an international perspective on tuberculosis, with data about the disease and the toll it takes worldwide. The WHO is also active in initiatives to end TB.

Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic provides an up-to-date review of the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of TB, as well as info on which doctors treat the disease.

Curry International Tuberculosis Center

Located at the University of California in San Francisco, the Curry International Tuberculosis Center has been working to control and eliminate TB in the United States and around the world since 1994. They provide educational resources to the general public and in-depth materials for healthcare professionals as well as those working with at-risk populations.

This article provides an overview of TB prevention strategies and how to implement them.

TB is a serious disease that can be fatal if left untreated. Fortunately, there are several prevention measures available. This is especially important for people more vulnerable to TB, such as those living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or frequently exposed to TB.

The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine protects against TB. The BCG vaccine is commonly given to infants and children in countries with high rates of TB infections. In the United States, it is given to certain healthcare workers. The BCG vaccine is a live vaccine and is not safe for those who are immunocompromised.

The BCG vaccine is 70% to 80% effective at protecting against the most serious forms of TB, like TB meningitis. However, it is not as effective at protecting against lung TB infections.

People with compromised immune systems are most at risk of becoming ill from TB. This includes those with HIV or any condition that affects the immune system. People who inject illicit drugs are also at an increased risk, as well as infants, young children, and older people.

Having a healthy immune system is an important part of being able to fight off a TB infection. Talk with your healthcare provider about any steps you can take to strengthen your body’s immune system.

Individuals with active TB must quarantine at home to keep the disease from spreading. TB can spread through a community quickly. It is essential to stop the spread by strictly following quarantine recommendations. The U.S. government requires those with infectious TB to isolate per quarantine law.

TB is a curable disease. The treatment for TB includes medication that may need to be taken for four, six, or nine months. The length of treatment depends on which drugs are used and why.

A four-month rifapentine-moxifloxacin regimen is preferred in the United States because it allows people to finish treatment faster, which helps with compliance (following through with treatment). It includes daily administration of rifapentine, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and moxifloxacin for the first eight weeks, followed by rifapentine, isoniazid, and moxifloxacin each day for nine weeks.

People with drug-resistant TB require a longer treatment course. The six- to nine-month treatment plan is more intense and starts with taking isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide for two months, followed by four to seven months of isoniazid and rifampicin.

Getting an early diagnosis of TB is the best way to prevent its spread. If you believe you have been exposed to TB, see your healthcare provider immediately.

The first step is to undergo a TB skin or blood test, which is used to detect both active and latent TB. People who have received the BCG vaccine in the past will also have a positive skin test. Only people with active TB can spread the disease to others.

If your skin or blood test returns positive, your medical team will recommend a chest X-ray and sputum sample to determine if you have active TB disease. After exposure to TB, it is possible to become sick either immediately or months later.

If you are living in or traveling to an area with an increased risk of exposure, there are measures you can take to protect yourself.

If you plan a trip to a country with high rates of TB, talk with your healthcare provider first. Before your trip, they may suggest a TB skin test. When you return from your trip, repeat the skin test eight to 10 weeks after getting home.

If you are participating in a service or medical mission abroad, talk about their TB prevention protocols with your trip organizers. Ask if the organization provides personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 masks. Places where TB can spread quickly include crowded hospitals, incarceration centers, homeless shelters, and other buildings with people living in close quarters.

People who work in medical settings are at increased risk of being exposed to TB. Hospitals and medical centers can lower the risk by implementing infection control policies and following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Healthcare providers should be tested for TB regularly and have access to PPE when needed. TB is an airborne disease, and healthcare workers require an N95 mask to protect themselves.

Simple hygiene measures can help prevent the spread of TB. People with active TB need to cough or sneeze into disposable tissues to lower the risk of spreading the disease. Used tissues must be disposed of right away. Handwashing is important for individuals with TB and anyone who comes in close contact with them.

TB is a serious and potentially fatal disease spread through the air. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent the spread of disease. Proven prevention methods include vaccination, testing, early diagnosis, quarantine, and medication treatment. Immune health and hygiene are also important ways to stop the spread. Individuals who are at increased risk of being exposed include healthcare workers, international travelers, and those who are immunocompromised.

TB is a serious disease, and the thought of being exposed to it can create anxiety. If you live or work in an area at risk, talk with your healthcare provider about how to best protect yourself. TB is curable and even preventable with all the tools available today.

The BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) is a live vaccine against tuberculosis. The vaccine is prepared from a strain of the weakened bovine tuberculosis bacillus, Mycobacterium bovis.

The BCG is currently the only licensed vaccine against TB, and has been in use since 1921. It is one of the most widely used vaccines worldwide, yet we still see around 9 million new cases of TB annually – a testament to the BCG’s limited effectiveness.

The BCG is:

Early diagnosis and treatment is the most effective way to prevent the spread of tuberculosis.

A person with infectious tuberculosis can infect up to 10–15 other people per year. But once diagnosed with TB, and started on treatment, the majority of patients are no longer infectious after just two weeks of taking the medication.

Limiting the spread of TB depends on successfully finding and treating people with the illness, to prevent them from passing it on to others.

This can be done through raising awareness of TB, so people with TB symptoms know to seek help. Outreach workers and volunteers also work within communities with high rates of TB to find people with symptoms and refer them for testing.

When someone is diagnosed with infectious TB, their close contacts are screened for the illness — this is known as contact tracing.

As TB is an airborne infection, TB bacteria are released into the air when someone with infectious TB coughs or sneezes. The risk of infection can be reduced by using a few simple precautions:

• good ventilation: as TB can remain suspended in the air for several hours with no ventilation.
• natural light: UV light kills off TB bacteria.
• good hygiene: covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing reduces the spread of TB bacteria.