Tb who is at risk

This is called latent TB infection. In most people who breathe in TB bacteria and become infected, the body is able to fight the bacteria to stop them from growing.

People with latent TB infection do not feel sick, do not have any symptoms, and cannot spread TB bacteria to others. If TB bacteria become active in the body and multiply, the person will go from having latent TB infection to being sick with TB disease. For this reason, people with latent TB infection are often prescribed treatment to prevent them from developing TB disease. TB disease can be treated by taking medicine. It is very important that people who have TB disease are treated, finish the medicine, and take the drugs exactly as prescribed.

If they stop taking the drugs too soon, they can become sick again; if they do not take the drugs correctly, the TB bacteria that are still alive may become resistant to those drugs. TB that is resistant to drugs is harder and more expensive to treat. Anyone can get TB , but certain people should be tested for TB infection because they are at higher risk for being infected with TB bacteria, including:.

If you think you may have latent TB infection, TB disease, or were exposed to someone with TB disease, contact your health care provider or your TB control office. You and your health-care provider can discuss your options for testing and treatment.

People with latent TB infection do not have symptoms, but they may still need treatment to prevent the development of TB disease. Hear the personal experiences of several people who were diagnosed and treated for TB disease, as well as the work of TB control professionals. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

Tuberculosis TB. Section Navigation. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Necessary Necessary. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. Non-necessary Non-necessary.

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The risk for active TB is highest in the first few years after immigration but persists for a lifetime.

Within the indigenous U. Other factors, which increase the risk for latent TB infection are time in prison, health care employment or extended travel in high risk areas. Most TB is seen in adult populations, the risk is increasing with age. However, children in households with an active-TB case may be at high risk. Masks are required for all patients, visitors, employees and staff. Thank you.