Tuberculosis FACT SHEETS

Table of Contents | Next

Active infectious TB disease

©World Lung Foundation 2006

What is active, infectious TB disease?

Active, infectious tuberculosis (TB) disease is caused by germs (bacteria) that are spread through the air from person to person. If someone has active TB disease of the lungs or airways, the TB germs may spread to others by coughing, sneezing, singing, playing a wind instrument or sometimes even just talking. Active TB is most infectious when the TB germs are found in the person’s sputum (phlegm).

What happens if I have active, infectious TB disease?

If you have active, infectious TB disease of the lungs or airways you will usually feel sick. You may have symptoms, like a bad cough lasting longer than three weeks, pain in the chest, coughing up blood or sputum, weakness or feeling very tired, weight loss, lack of appetite, chills, fever and night sweats. By the time you see a doctor, you may need to be hospitalized. In the hospital, you may be kept in a special isolation room to protect other patients and health-care workers from becoming infected with TB. You will be asked to wear a mask if you have to leave this room. Health-care workers will wear masks to protect themselves while caring for you.

You will be given antibiotic drugs to kill the TB germs. When you are no longer infectious to others, you can usually go back to your normal routine as soon as you feel up to it. It is very important to keep taking TB drugs to complete your treatment and be cured. If you stop taking your drugs too early, you may develop drug-resistant TB, which is harder to treat.

What happens to my friends and family if I have active, infectious TB disease?

Because you may have spread TB germs to others without even knowing it, health-care workers will talk to you to find out who you spend time with every day. This is called contact tracing. Your family, friends and coworkers will be contacted and then tested to find out if they have been infected. Contact tracing helps stop the spread of TB.

Table of Contents | Next