Preventing Pulmonary Tuberculosis You can avoid getting TB by staying away from people who have the disease. Sometimes this is not possible because you may work in a hospital, doctor’s office, nursing facility, prison, or homeless shelter where people have the disease. You may also be caring for a friend or family member who has the disease. To avoid TB in these situations: Avoid long periods of time in enclosed rooms with someone who has TB. Air out those rooms regularly. Cover your face with a mask. Anyone who is exposed to people who have TB disease should be tested for the disease. How Is TB Treated? People with latent TB have no symptoms and cannot pass TB to another person. However, it is very important to be treated even if you have no symptoms because you could develop TB disease in the future. If you have latent TB, you may need to take just one TB drug. If you have TB disease, your doctor will prescribe several medicines, which you will need to take for six months or longer. The four most common TB medicines are: Isoniazid Rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane) Ethambutol (Myambutol) Pyrazinamide Even if you feel better after starting your medicines, you must continue to take your medication exactly as your doctor prescribed. Stopping treatment or skipping doses can make TB resistant to medicines, leading to a very dangerous type of TB called “multidrug-resistant TB” (MDR TB). To help you complete treatment, your doctor might recommend an approach called “directly observed therapy” (DOT). With DOT, a healthcare professional such as a nurse meets with you every day or several times a week to administer your medication so that you don’t have to remember to take it on your own. If you are not on DOT, you should make a plan for taking your medicines so that you do not miss a dose. Some tips to help you remember to take your medicines are to: Take them at the same time every day. Make a note on your calendar each day to show you have taken your medicines. Ask someone to remind you to take your medicines every day. Keep your medicines in a weekly pill organizer
