TB Frequently Asked Questions

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that is spread from person to person through the air. TB usually affects the lungs. The germs are put into the air when a person with TB of the lung coughs, sneezes, laughs or sings. TB can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys or the spine.

2. What are the symptoms of TB?

Symptoms of TB of the lungs may include a cough that lasts longer than three weeks, chest pain and/or coughing up blood, feeling weak or fatigued, weight loss, loss of appetite, chills, fever and/or night sweats. Other symptoms depend on the particular part of the body that is affected.

3. How is Tuberculosis transmitted?

Tuberculosis is spread from person to person through the air. TB germs are put into the air when someone with pulmonary TB disease (TB in their lungs) coughs, speaks, or sings. A person who breathes in the bacteria can become infected. The TB germs settle in the lungs, grow and can move throughout the body through the blood.

4. No one gets TB anymore, do they?

Tuberculosis (TB) is the 13^th leading cause of death in the world.

• Second leading infectious killer after Covid-19
• In 2021, 10.6 million people around the world became sick with TB disease, and 1.6 million TB-related deaths.
• A total of 7,860 TB cases (a rate of 2.4 cases per 100,000 persons) were reported in the United States in 2021.
• There are also approximately 13 million people living with latent TB infection.
• With the exception of 2015, the overall number of TB cases in the United States has declined every year since 1992. There was a significant decrease in 2020 for a number of reasons, including a true reduction and missed, delayed and underdiagnosis of TB disease related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

5. Who gets TB?

Anyone can get TB, but some people are at higher risk. Those at higher risk include:

• People who share the same breathing space (such as family members, friends, co-workers) with someone who has TB disease;
• Low-income groups with poor access to health care, including homeless people;
• Foreign-born people from countries where a lot of people have TB;
• People who live in high-risk residential settings, such as nursing homes, homeless shelters, or correctional facilities;
• Health care workers who serve high-risk clients;
• People who inject illegal drugs;
• People with medical conditions such as diabetes, certain types of cancers, and being underweight; and especially
• People with HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS)

First, get a TB skin test or blood test. If it is positive, you will probably be given other tests to see if you have TB infection or TB disease.

7. What is the difference between TB infection and TB disease? 

People with TB disease are sick from germs that are active in their body. They usually have one or more of the symptoms of TB. These people are often capable of giving the infection to others. Permanent body damage and death can result from the disease. Medicines which can cure TB are prescribed for these people. People with TB infection (without disease) have the germ that causes TB in their body. They are not sick because the germ lies inactive in their body.  They cannot spread the germ to others. However, these people may develop TB disease in the future, especially if they are in one of the high-risk groups listed under "Who gets TB?". Medicine is often prescribed for these people to prevent them from developing TB disease.

8. Where can I get a TB skin test or blood test?

You can get a TB skin test or blood test from your doctor. FDOH-Orange only performs TB testing for contacts to TB cases.

9. How is the skin test and/or blood test given?

For the Quantiferon Test (the blood draw TB test) a needle is inserted into a vein to collect a small sample of blood into a specimen tube, which is sent off to a laboratory for processing. Results are usually reported to your doctor’s office or local health department with 48-72 hours. Depending on which blood test you are given, your results may be positive, negative, borderline, indeterminate, or invalid. Your doctor will review your test results with you to determine whether you have or have not been infected with the TB germ, or if you need to be re-tested.

 When a skin test is done a small needle is used to put some testing material, called tuberculin, just under the skin. This is usually done on the inside of the arm. The person getting the test must return in 48 to 72 hours to see if there is a reaction to the test. If there is a reaction, the size of the reaction is measured.

10. What if the test is negative?

A negative test usually means the person is not infected. However, the test may be falsely negative in a person who has been recently infected. It usually takes 2 to 10 weeks after exposure to a person with TB disease for the skin test to react positive. The test may also be falsely negative if the person's immune system is not working properly.

11. What if the test is positive?

A positive reaction usually means that the person has been infected with the TB germ. It does not necessarily mean that the person has TB disease. Other tests, such as an x-ray or sputum sample are needed to see if the person has TB disease.

12. What should I do if I have TB infection or disease?

Get required follow-up tests. Follow your doctor's advice and take the medicine as prescribed. Today, TB is easily prevented and cured with medication.