Tuberculosis how is it transmitted

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You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. People with the germ have a 10 percent lifetime risk of…. The disease grows easily and is highly contagious, but new diagnostic tests may help global health officials in their quest to eliminate tuberculosis…. Tuberculosis TB is a serious infection. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect.

Medically reviewed by Daniel Murrell, M. How is it spread? How to reduce your risk for TB. What are the symptoms of TB?

What treatments are available? The takeaway. Read this next. Types of Tuberculosis. Medically reviewed by Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph. Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Bone Tuberculosis. Miliary Tuberculosis. Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M. Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Medically reviewed by Adithya Cattamanchi, M. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. It would be highly unlikely for you to become infected by sitting next to an infected person on, for instance, a bus or train.

Not everyone with TB is infectious. Children with TB or people with a TB infection that occurs outside the lungs extrapulmonary TB do not spread the infection.

But in some cases, the bacteria infect the body but do not cause any symptoms latent TB , or the infection begins to cause symptoms within weeks, months or even years active TB. This usually happens either within the first year or two of infection, or when the immune system is weakened — for example, if someone is having chemotherapy treatment for cancer.