Antibiotics are used to treat TB
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called mycobacterium tuberculosis, which spreads through the air after a person with an active TB infection coughs, sneezes, speaks or breathes. By breathing infected air, a person may contract TB. In areas where TB is not prevalent, it is difficult to contract TB. However, if you spend time in locales where TB is present, you may want to take precautions to prevent tuberculosis.
Active and Latent TB
There are two types of TB infection---latent TB and active TB. Those with active TB can spread tuberculosis and have its symptoms, including a cough that lasts for longer than three weeks, fever, malaise and night sweating. Individuals with latent TB may have no symptoms, but can develop active TB later and may have a positive TB skin test.
Preventing Exposure to TB
Unlike colds and the flu, TB is not transmitted through surface contact like sharing eating utensils. It is spread through airborne particles breathed in to the body. According to the CDC, transmission of TB occurs when a person is exposed to someone with an active TB infection in a closed, poorly ventilated area for a long period of time. It is possible to transmit TB on an airplane, particularly by sitting next to someone with an active infection. The CDC's Traveler's Health website notes that the risk is particularly high on longer flights and for passengers who sit closer to infected passengers. However, the chance of being infected with TB from flying is low.
N-95 respirators, if properly fitted, can provide some protection, though these are expensive. Face masks also provide a minimal amount of protection, but these are designed more to halt the spread of infection than to protect individuals from airborne particle. If you fear that you may have been exposed to TB, get tested for it after your travels. Other than good travel hygiene, the CDC does not have any more recommendations for travelers to avoid TB.
Preventing Active TB
The CDC recommends that you get tested for tuberculosis if you have spent time around someone with active TB, if you live somewhere in the U.S. where TB infection can be common (jails, some nursing homes and homeless shelters), or if you are from countries where TB is prevalent. The CDC notes that most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia still have widespread TB cases.
If you have a positive skin test, your health-care provider may recommend that you start an antibiotic treatment to end your TB infection.
Treating Active TB
If you have active TB, you must follow your doctor's recommendations to prevent its spread as well as to fully recover. The CDC recommends treatment with several different kinds of antibiotics for six months. To keep your infection from spreading, do not travel or go to school or work while infectious, cough and sneeze into a tissue that is promptly disposed and keep your room ventilated
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