Tuberculosis
Signs and Symptoms
Tuberculosis (TB) infection:
1. Mild cough (sometimes).
2. You may have an infection even if you have no symptoms at all.
TB disease:
1. Coughing, sometimes with bloody mucus.
2. Chest pain.
3. Slight fever.
4. Weight loss and fatigue.
5. Night sweats.
What to Do Now
If you have the disease, it’s important to get regular medical attention and to follow a doctor’s advice closely.
When to Call A Doctor
1. If you suspect you have been exposed to tuberculosis for a long period.
2. If you have symptoms of the disease.
3. If you are receiving treatment for TB and new, unexpected symptoms develop.
How to Prevent It
1. Most people are not at risk of getting TB, so they needn’t take any special measures.
2. If you are in any of the following high-risk groups, however, talk with your doctor about screenings, prevention, or a preventive vaccine (the vaccine is not 100 percent effective):
3. If you are HIV positive.
4. If you have spent a long time with some one who has the disease, or you work in a place such as a homeless shelter, a hospital, or a residential care facility.
5. If you are an intravenous drug user.
6. If there has been TB in their school, your children should be tested.
7. If you have spent a long time in crowded conditions in a country where tuberculosis is known to be prevalent.