Tuberculosis

If you are worried that you may have symptoms of TB or that you may have been in contact with someone with TB, please speak to your GP so you can be tested. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential to prevent TB from spreading.

There are two main kinds of TB infection.

Active TB 

Active TB means the TB germs are awake and multiplying in the body, you will feel unwell and may become infectious.

Symptoms of active TB include:

• Cough that does not get better, lasting three weeks or more.
• Unexplained and unintentional weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• High temperature or fever
• Night sweats (soaked bedsheets)
• Extreme tiredness or lack of energy
• Some people also have swollen glands or may cough up blood.

If you have these symptoms, it's important to visit your GP.

Latent TB (LTBI)

Latent TB means that you have been in contact with TB but the TB germs are ‘asleep’ (dormant) in your body. You will not know if you have latent TB and will need a blood test (chest x-rays cannot see LTBI).

Latent TB  does not make you unwell and you are not infectious to other people, however, the germ will remain in your body unless treated. It is important to treat latent TB as it can sometimes become active TB.

In Leicester you can get tasted for latent TB at your GP.

How do you catch TB?

TB is not easily caught. You need to spend a lot of time in close contact with someone who has active TB.

In most cases, the immune system of someone who has been exposed to TB will kill the germ, and they will not become ill.

However a small number of people who are exposed will become unwell with symptoms of active TB, usually within a few months. Others will go on to develop latent TB. About 1 in 10 people with latent TB will develop active TB disease at some point in the future (usually in the first 5 years following infection).

You can be infected by TB more than once.

If you are worried that you may have symptoms of TB or that you may have been in contact with someone with TB, please talk to your GP.

Treatment for TB

TB is treated with antibiotics for at least six months.

You must complete the entire course of tuberculosis (TB) treatment, even if you start feeling better before the medication is finished.

TB bacteria can be resilient, and if you stop the treatment early the bacteria could survive and potentially develop resistance to medicines, making it harder to treat in the future.

Not completing or taking treatment can also lead to more severe health issues and could even spread drug resistant TB to others. Completing treatment ensures that all TB bacteria are eliminated, protecting your health, and reducing the risk to those around you.

What to do if you think you or someone you know has TB?

Visit your GP if you feel like you or someone in your family has symptoms of TB or has been in contact with someone who has TB to get checked or call 111 if you feel unwell, if you are very unwell call 999 or visit A&E.

Is there a TB vaccine?

The BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine helps protect against severe types of TB. It is usually given to babies and young children who are more likely to get TB. Please contact your child’s healthcare visitor or GP if you require further information.

You can get more information about TB from these websites: