TB The TB Contact Investigation

Protect Your Family and 

Friends from Tuberculosis
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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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Anyone can get TB ................................................................... 5

Follow Kelly’s tips...................................................................... 6

Talking with your healthcare worker.................................. 6

Get your questions answered............................................... 7

A word for contacts.................................................................10

Contents
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No one likes to think they have given someone TB.

Did you know?

People with TB disease can pass TB germs to others. But if 

they take the TB medicine the right way, they won’t pass TB 

germs to others.

“ ”
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Anyone can get TB

If you have TB disease, you are doing the right thing by sharing the names of 

people you spent time with when you were able to pass TB germs to others. By 

helping your doctor or healthcare provider to do a TB contact investigation, 

you are helping your family and friends stay well. And you are helping to 

make sure your community stays healthy.

Here is what Kelly had to say about contact investigation:

“My healthcare worker asked for the names of my contacts, people I spent 

time with before I got treatment—when I could still pass TB germs on to 

others. My healthcare worker said she needed to do a contact investigation. 

This means calling or visiting people to let them know they should be tested 

for TB. I knew my family and friends needed to find out if they had TB, so, 

together we made a list of my contacts.”

How is TB spread?

TB germs are passed through the air when a person who is sick with TB 

disease coughs, laughs, sings, or sneezes. Anyone nearby can breathe in these 

TB germs and get TB infection. People with TB infection cannot pass TB 

germs to others. But if left untreated, TB infection can turn into TB disease.
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Follow Kelly’s tips:

• Think about your contacts. Contacts are family members, friends, neighbors, 

co-workers, and others who spent time with you when you were sick. 

• Give the names of your contacts to your healthcare worker. Don’t let 

being embarrassed keep you from listing people you may have given 

TB germs. 

• Think of how you are helping those around you stay well. Protect your 

family and friends.

• Learn all you can about TB.

Talking with your healthcare worker:

Your healthcare worker may ask you some or all of these questions during the 

contact investigation.

About your symptoms:

Your healthcare worker may ask: “How long have you been coughing?” 

“When did you first start to feel sick?”

About places you have been: 

Your healthcare worker may ask, “Where did you spend time when you were 

feeling sick and coughing? Where did you live? Did you go to school? Where 

did you hang out when you were not at home or working?”

The good news is that TB can be 

prevented, treated, and cured.
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About people you spent time with:

Your healthcare worker may ask, “Who are the family members, friends, 

neighbors, and co-workers you’ve spent time with while coughing?”

Get your questions answered.

Will my healthcare worker get in touch with all the people I listed?

Your healthcare worker will decide which people need to be contacted based 

on the information you give. It is important for the healthcare worker to be 

in touch with people you may have given TB germs. These friends, family 

members, co-workers, or classmates may have TB infection. That means they 

have dormant (sleeping) TB germs in their body, so they may not feel sick. If 

they get treatment for TB infection, they won’t get sick with TB disease. If 

they already have TB disease, they will need treatment right away.

What about my privacy?

Some people with TB disease are afraid they will lose their job if others learn 

they passed TB germs to people at work. Others may be worried their friends 

and family will reject them. What you need to know is that the information 

you share with the healthcare worker is kept private and personal.

If your healthcare worker has to talk with your supervisor:

Your healthcare worker will be extra careful when talking to people at your 

work. In most cases, a contact investigation can be done without giving your 

name. Your name will ONLY be given to a supervisor if it is needed to make 

sure the right people get tested for TB. The healthcare worker will ask your 

supervisor to not give your name to your co-workers.
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Your healthcare workers will do everything they can to protect 

your privacy.

• Your healthcare worker will take steps to make sure your name is not 

mentioned in a contact investigation. Even if your contact already knows 

that you have TB, your healthcare worker will not give out your name.

• Your healthcare worker will only give your name to doctors, nurses, and 

other healthcare workers who are taking care of you.

Your healthcare worker may:

• Call or visit the people you name.

• Talk to a group of people at your work, school, or place of worship.

Your healthcare worker will suggest the contacts get a TB skin test or TB 

blood test and provide information on where to get tested.
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A nurse told us we had been around someone 

with TB disease and we might have TB infection. 

She said if we do have TB infection and don’t get 

treatment, we can go on to get TB disease. And 

that can make us very sick. We’re going to the 

clinic today to get a TB skin test or TB blood test.

“

”
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A word for contacts: 

What should you do if you have been named as a contact of 

someone with TB disease?

FIRST: A healthcare worker will call you on the phone or come to see you. 

The worker will not tell you the name of the person who may have passed TB 

germs to you.

NEXT: After talking to you, a healthcare worker may suggest that you see a 

doctor or nurse for an examination. The exam may include a TB skin test or 

TB blood test and a chest x-ray. 

FINALLY: If you have TB infection, take control now. Follow your healthcare 

worker’s advice. Stop TB infection before you go on to get TB disease.
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If a healthcare worker contacts you:

Talk with the healthcare worker. Find out all you can about TB. Get a TB skin 

test or TB blood test if the healthcare worker says you need one.

Talking with family and friends.

Some people do not understand how TB is spread or how it is treated. They 

may be afraid of getting TB from sharing dishes or drinking containers with 

someone who has TB. It may be helpful to share the facts you have learned 

about TB with your family and others who are close to you, especially if they 

are worried about their health or your health. Learning the facts may help 

lower their fears. 
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TB is a serious disease.

If you have TB disease, you are doing the right thing by giving names of 

people you have spent time with to your healthcare worker. If you know you 

have been around someone with TB disease, call your doctor or clinic and 

ask about getting a TB skin test or TB blood test.

Setting up an appointment for your TB skin test 

or TB blood test:

Date:

Time:

Location:

Phone:

Name of healthcare worker or clinic: 
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Take steps to control TB.

DO IT FOR YOUR HEALTH — DO IT FOR YOUR FAMILY.

“

”

I took steps to protect my family.

First I gave names of people I spent time with to my 

healthcare worker. Then my family got tested for 

TB. Everyone had a TB skin test or TB blood test. We 

are following our doctor’s advice and taking steps 

to protect our health. And that’s important to us.
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Notes
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Notes
CS252981-A

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