TB Get the Facts About

Tuberculosis Disease
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Read this brochure today to learn how to 

protect your family and friends from TB. 

Then share it with people in your life.

What’s Inside:
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Get the facts, then get the cure........................................... 4

Learn how TB is spread........................................................... 7

Treatment for TB Disease ......................................................10

Talking to family and friends about TB.............................13

Contents
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Last winter my 

cousin Carl got real 

sick with TB disease. 

Since I live with him, 

I should have had 

a TB skin test or TB 

blood test, but I 

never got around to 

it. I don’t have health insurance, so I didn’t go to the 

doctor right away when I got a bad cough. When 

the cough lasted 3 weeks, and I started having night 

sweats, well, I knew something was wrong. The 

clinic doctor thought I might have TB. The nurse 

gave me a TB skin test and then I had a chest x-ray. 

Sure enough—I had TB disease. 

Get the facts, then get the cure

You may have just been told you have TB disease. You also may be feeling a 

bit confused. This is normal. You are learning a lot of new information. It 

may help if you look at this brochure and read what some people like you have 

to say about TB.

Randy has TB disease and is now taking TB medicines. He is taking the TB 

medicines just like his doctor told him. Soon he will be cured of TB.

We hope the information in this booklet can answer your questions you or 

your loved ones may have about TB.

“

”

Randy speaks out about TB:
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How to best use this booklet:

Read this booklet to learn how other people like you coped with TB disease. 

Learn all you can about TB and share what you learn with your family and 

friends. Read through this booklet once. Then put it in a familiar place so you 

can read it again if you need to.

There are 3 parts to this booklet.

Part 1: Learn how TB is spread.

Part 2: Getting treated for TB.

This section also includes answers to questions you may have about TB 

medicines.

Part 3: Get good advice on how to talk to your family about TB.

What is TB?

TB is short for tuberculosis. TB is a serious disease that can cause a person to 

become very sick if not treated with medicine. TB usually affects the lungs, 

but it sometimes affects other parts of the body.

How did I get TB disease?

• TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The TB germs 

are passed through the air when someone who is sick with TB disease 

coughs, laughs, sings, or sneezes.

• If you breathe air that has TB germs, you may get TB infection. This 

means you have only dormant (sleeping) TB germs in your body. These 

dormant germs are not making you sick, and you cannot pass these 

germs to anyone else.

• If these dormant TB germs in your body wake up and multiply, you will 

get sick with TB disease.

• TB can cause death if not treated with medicine.
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TB disease develops from TB infection. People 

don’t know they have TB infection unless they 

have been tested for TB.

Once you have TB infection, you have a higher chance of getting 

TB disease if you:

• Have HIV infection.

• Have been recently infected with TB (in the last two years).

• Have other health problems, like diabetes, that make it hard for your 

body to fight germs.

• Abuse alcohol or inject illegal drugs.

• Were not treated correctly for TB infection in the past.
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Learn how TB is spread

Did you know?

Babies, young children, and 

elderly people also have a much 

higher chance of getting TB 

disease if infected with TB 

germs. This is because their body 

defenses are not as strong.

You cannot get TB germs from:

• Sharing drinking containers or 

eating utensils.

• Smoking or sharing cigarettes 

with others.

• Saliva shared from kissing.

TB is NOT spread through shaking 

someone’s hand, sharing food, 

touching bed linens or toilet seats, 

or sharing toothbrushes.
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Randy’s story:

Randy has TB disease. He felt sick 

for a while. He told his doctor he 

had been having night sweats and 

coughing a lot for three weeks. He 

lost about 10 pounds and felt weak 

and tired. He was pretty scared the 

day he coughed up blood.

• Because he had active TB 

germs in his body, Randy 

was able to pass TB germs on to others around him when he coughed, 

sang, or sneezed. How? TB germs are passed through the air from one 

person to another.

• Randy got treatment. He will need to stay on TB medicines for at least 

6 months, or until all the TB germs in his body are killed.

• He talked to his doctor to find out when it was safe to return to work 

and have friends visit him at home.

Some signs of TB disease are:

• A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer.

• Pain in the chest.

• Coughing up blood or phlegm from deep inside the lungs.

• Weakness or feeling very tired.

• Losing weight without trying.

• Having no appetite.

• Chills and fever.

• Sweating at night or when you are sleeping.
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The good news:

TB disease 

can be 

prevented, 

treated, and 

cured!

Did you know?

Babies, young children, and elderly people also have a much higher chance 

of getting TB disease if infected with TB germs. This is because their body 

defenses are not as strong.
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Treatment for TB Disease

How is TB disease treated? 

• You will start off with several TB medicines.

• You will need to take your medicines the right way, just as your doctor or 

healthcare provider tells you.

• You will need to stay on TB medicines for at least 6 months.

If you don’t take the pills the right way:

• It can be harder or not possible to cure your TB.

• You can stay sick for a longer time.

• The medicines can stop working, and you may have to take different 

medicines that have more side effects.

• Even the new medicines may not cure the TB.

• You can pass TB germs on to others.

Take your TB pills exactly the way your doctor tells you, 

even if you feel well. It’s the only way to kill TB germs.
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Talk to your healthcare provider if your TB medicine is making you feel sick. 

Any medicine can cause side effects, including TB pills. Most people can take 

their TB medicine without any problems.

• A fever.

• A rash.

• Aching joints.

• Aches or tingling in your fingers 

or toes.

• An upset stomach, nausea, or 

stomach cramps.

• Vomiting.

• Changes in your eyesight such as 

blurred vision.

If you are being treated for TB disease, tell your doctor right away 

if you have:

• Changes in your hearing such as 

ringing in your ears.

• Dizziness.

• Bruising.

• Easy bleeding when cut.

• Less appetite or no appetite 

for food.

• Tingling or numbness around 

the mouth.

• Yellow skin or eyes.
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Your doctor will make sure the medicine is working:

During your treatment, you will have occasional blood, phlegm, urine tests, 

and x-rays as needed to make sure that your medicines are working.

If you have other health problems, like HIV infection or hepatitis, you may 

have these tests before and after treatment, as well.

Follow these medicine tips:

• Take your pills exactly the way your doctor tells you.

• Take your pills even if you feel well.

• Talk to your doctor about any side effects from taking the pills. Your 

doctor has tips to help you take your pills.

Once I complete treatment for TB disease and I’m cured, can I get 

TB again?

Yes, but this is unlikely. After you take the medicine the right way for as long 

as your doctor tells you, your chance of getting TB again is low. Now that you 

have had TB disease, you know what the signs are. If you notice any of those 

signs, you should call your doctor right away.

When you have TB disease, you will want to take these steps:

• Take your medicine the right way, as your doctor or healthcare provider 

tells you.

• Wear a special mask if your doctor says it is needed. If you are not wearing a mask, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or 

sneeze. You may see healthcare providers wearing a mask around you so 

they won’t get TB germs from you.

• Keep windows open in your home, if possible, until your doctor says you 

cannot pass TB germs to others.

• Don’t spend time in closed spaces with others until your doctor or 

healthcare provider says you can’t pass TB germs on to others.
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Talking to family and friends about TB

“

”

Letting people know you have TB disease is not 

always easy. I knew I had to tell my family because 

I spend a lot of time with them. My sister has two 

young sons, so I wanted them to get tested right 

away. Everyone got TB skin tests and all of them were 

negative, but it may have been too soon for their 

bodies to react to the test. They will all get another TB 

skin test or a TB blood test in about two months.

If you have TB disease, you 

may want to talk to your 

friends and family about it. 

If so, share this brochure and 

other information you have 

learned about TB with them.

Let them know:

• Anyone can get TB.

• You are taking your TB pills the right way.

• Usually after you have been on the TB medicine for several weeks, your 

doctor will be able to tell when you are no longer passing TB germs to others.

• A healthcare worker may speak with them about their chances of 

getting TB. They may need to have a TB skin test or TB blood test and 

chest x-ray.

Remember—TB can be 

prevented, treated, and cured.

All of this information is a lot to take in at once. Take each day—one day at a 

time, as you work toward getting cured of TB disease.
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Notes
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Notes
CS252981-B

For more information on TB, call your

local heath department at

Developed in partnership with the Global Tuberculosis Institute at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Produced 2008 | Reprinted 2015

or visit the CDC Division of 

Tuberculosis Elimination website at 

http://www.cdc.gov/tb