This means that being near someone with TB disease when they cough, sneeze, or even talk close to your face for an extended period of time puts you at risk for infection. Kissing, hugging, or shaking hands with a person who has TB doesn’t spread the disease.

The TB skin test, also known as the Mantoux tuberculin skin test, is the most common way doctors diagnose tuberculosis. They’ll inject a tiny amount of fluid called tuberculin just below the skin in your forearm.

A healthy balanced diet for a person with TB

• Cereals, millets and pulses.
• Vegetables and fruits.
• Milk and milk products, meat, eggs & fish.
• Oils, fats and nuts and oils seeds.

Patients with active TB may be isolated until they are no longer contagious – often a period of two weeks or more after the initiation of antibiotic therapy.

Although their beliefs about TB were not entirely medically sound, they were kind of right in this regard: Fresh air does prevent TB from spreading, and the high altitude stops TB bacteria from spreading as rapidly through the lungs.

Stop the Spread of TB

1. Take all of your medicines as they’re prescribed, until your doctor takes you off them.
2. Keep all your doctor appointments.
3. Always cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
4. Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing.
5. Don’t visit other people and don’t invite them to visit you.

Although relatively little is known about its frequency before the 19th century, its incidence is thought to have peaked between the end of the 18th century and the end of the 19th century.

Persons who have been Recently Infected with TB Bacteria Persons who have immigrated from areas of the world with high rates of TB. Children less than 5 years of age who have a positive TB test. Groups with high rates of TB transmission, such as homeless persons, injection drug users, and persons with HIV infection.

Most people recover from primary TB infection without further evidence of the disease. The infection may stay inactive (dormant) for years. In some people, it becomes active again (reactivates). Most people who develop symptoms of a TB infection first became infected in the past.

The most common treatment for active TB is isoniazid INH in combination with three other drugs—rifampin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. You may begin to feel better only a few weeks after starting to take the drugs but treating TB takes much longer than other bacterial infections.