Infection-Control
If you test positive for latent TB infection, your doctor may advise you to take medications to reduce your risk of developing active tuberculosis. The only type of tuberculosis that is contagious is the active variety, when it affects the lungs. So if you can prevent your latent tuberculosis from becoming active, you won't transmit tuberculosis to anyone else.
If you have active TB, keep your germs to yourself. It generally takes a few weeks of treatment with TB medications before you're not contagious anymore. Follow these tips to help keep your friends and family from getting sick: Stay Home, Ventilate the Room, Cover Your Mouth, and Wear a Mask.
Vaccinations
In countries where tuberculosis is more common, infants are vaccinated with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine because it can prevent severe tuberculosis in children. The BCG vaccine isn't recommended for general use in the United States because it isn't very effective in adults and it causes a false-positive result on a TB skin test. Researchers are working on developing a more effective TB vaccine.
If you have active TB, keep your germs to yourself. It generally takes a few weeks of treatment with TB medications before you're not contagious anymore. Follow these tips to help keep your friends and family from getting sick: Stay Home, Ventilate the Room, Cover Your Mouth, and Wear a Mask.
Vaccinations
In countries where tuberculosis is more common, infants are vaccinated with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine because it can prevent severe tuberculosis in children. The BCG vaccine isn't recommended for general use in the United States because it isn't very effective in adults and it causes a false-positive result on a TB skin test. Researchers are working on developing a more effective TB vaccine.