Tuberculosis (TB) Center

TB is an airborne disease that can be spread when someone who is infectious coughs, sneezes, sings, laughs, and speaks. TB usually affects the lungs (pulmonary TB disease), but can present in almost any part of the body (extra-pulmonary TB disease). Close contacts can become infected, but it usually requires prolonged exposure from six to eight hours a day for a period of four to six weeks. Other factors like poor air circulation or lack of fresh air allow the bacteria to collect in greater concentrations, thus increasing the chance of infection.

TB infection means that a person has the TB germ in their body, but their immune system is able to protect the body from becoming sick, so the person is not contagious. TB disease means that a person has the TB germ in their body, but their immune system is no longer able to protect them from the TB germ, therefore, they become sick and can spread TB to others. For more information, please refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Anyone can become infected with TB, but some people are at higher risk:

• Close contacts (people who share the same breathing space with someone who has TB disease)
• Individuals living in congregate settings (homeless shelter, jail/prison, nursing homes, etc.)
• Foreign-born people from countries where a lot of people have TB disease.
• Health care workers working with populations at high-risk for TB disease.

Individuals who:

• Have been recently infected with TB (within 2 years)
• Have diabetes
• Have chronic kidney failure with dialysis
• Have cancer of the head, neck, or lung
• Are on prolonged immunosuppressive therapy (e.g. steroids, chemotherapy)
• Have had an organ transplant
• Are HIV-positive