TB Prevention

If you have recently been diagnosed with TB, you may feel fear of spreading this dangerous bacteria to friends and loved ones. Also, if you have a friend or family member who has come down with TB disease, you may want to help them with their treatment, but at the same time you may feel worried about exposing yourself. This post will go into details about how to avoid spreading this disease while still allowing for the close comfort and support that loved ones have to offer.

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To begin, the first thing you should do after being diagnosed with Tuberculosis is to talk with your doctor about the people that you feel have come in close contact with you before you started your treatment and may have passed on the TB germs to. By thinking about these people and notifying your healthcare provider, you can allow them to get tested for TB and remove any worries or fear that you have harmed others! Below are tips provided by the CDC to help you when having this discussion with your doctor.

CDC Pamphlet

After you have gone over your contacts with your healthcare provider, there are other simple steps you can take to help ensure you don't infect those around you:

• Follow your entire medication regiment! this may be the most important thing you do, both for yourself and those around you! If you don't follow the medication guidelines set out for you by your doctor, the disease can easily worsen and you may stay infectious for much longer. 
• Avoid leaving your house. This will ensure that the disease does not spread to random people.
• Stay in a ventilated area. This is important because TB bacteria can spread easier in a room with no air movement.
• Cover your mouth or wear a mask. When sneezing, coughing, or laughing, others can inhale the released bacteria and become infected with TB. This can be avoided through the use of a mask. 

By following these tips and suggestions, you will find that you feel much better about the possibility of spreading this disease to those close to you.

For more information about the protection of others from TB, check out this Informational CDC pamphlet and this helpful mayoclic.org page! Both of these resources can be very useful when seeking prevention tips.