Tuberculosis Q&AsAnswers to questions about tuberculosis This section contains answers to common questions about this topic. Questions have been suggested by health professionals, website feedback and requests via email. Can multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) be treated? Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) can usually be treated successfully. However, you may need to take medicines for up to two years and there is a risk of more severe side-effects from those medicines. ExplanationThe bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) can occasionally become resistant to antibiotics. This makes it more difficult to treat. TB becomes resistant to treatment for a number of reasons. One of the most common is not completing the prescribed course of antibiotics. Sometimes people start to take antibiotics, feel better and then stop taking them. When this happens, the TB can re-occur and become resistant to the drugs. However, MDR-TB can generally be treated with a combination of anti-TB drugs. Treatment of resistant TB is usually more complicated and takes longer. A course of treatment for MDR-TB can last for as long as two years. There are a number of different antibiotics that can be used to treat TB. If you have multi-drug resistant TB, then you will need to take less commonly used medicines and these may be more likely to cause severe side-effects. Further information
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I have been vaccinated against tuberculosis (TB) but it was a long time ago. Do I need a booster? No. You can only have the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination once. ExplanationThe BCG vaccination usually protects you from TB for at least 15 years. There isn't much information available on how well it works after that, but it may become less effective as time goes on. However, repeat BCG vaccinations aren't recommended because there is no proof that they give extra protection against TB. A repeat vaccination may be more likely to cause a severe skin reaction to the vaccine. Further information
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I think I may have been exposed to tuberculosis (TB). What should I do? You should contact your GP as soon as possible. If you have had long-term, close contact with someone who is infected, your GP may arrange for you to be tested.
ExplanationTB is only infectious when it affects the lungs. Close day-to-day contact with an infected person is usually needed for the infection to spread. This means sharing the same bathroom, bedroom, kitchen or living room with someone who has the infection. If you have had this kind of close contact with someone who has TB, then you should contact your GP and you will likely be tested for the infection. Partners, friends or work colleagues who have close contact or who regularly visit the home of someone with TB may also be tested. If you have only been briefly exposed to someone with TB, then it's unlikely that you will have caught it. If you think that you have been in close contact with somebody who is infected, then you should see your GP. You may need to be tested for TB. You may be given a skin test, a blood test and a chest X-ray. You may also be offered a BCG vaccination if necessary. Further information
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Related topics Tuberculosis factsheet Visit the tuberculosis health factsheet for more information.
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