Medicines for Tuberculosis (TB)

What it is

Tuberculosis, or TB, is an infection caused by bacteria that most often affect the lungs but can involve other parts of the body. It spreads through the air when someone with active TB in their lungs coughs or sneezes. Typical symptoms include a cough lasting more than three weeks, sometimes bringing up blood, along with weight loss, fever, drenching night sweats and tiredness. An important distinction is between latent TB, where the bacteria are present but dormant so the person feels well and cannot pass it on, and active TB, where the person is unwell and may be infectious. TB is a notifiable disease in the UK, which means cases are reported so that close contacts can be traced and checked.

How it is treated

TB is curable. The cornerstone of treatment is a combination of antibiotics taken together over several months — using several medicines at once is deliberate, because it clears the infection more reliably and stops the bacteria becoming resistant. The single most important thing is to complete the entire course exactly as prescribed, even after symptoms improve and the person feels well, because stopping early can leave the infection to return in a harder-to-treat, drug-resistant form. Treatment is supervised and supported by specialist services, with monitoring along the way. People in close contact with someone who has active TB are offered screening, and latent TB may be treated to prevent it becoming active. The BCG vaccine is offered to some people at higher risk.