Tuberculosis contagion occurs through the air, when the individual breathes the air contaminated with Koch's bacillus, causing the infection. This contagion can occur when you are close to a person with tuberculosis, especially when living in the same environment, at home or at work.
The main way to prevent tuberculosis is through the BCG vaccine, which is taken in childhood. In addition, it is recommended to avoid being in places where there are people suspected of infection, except in cases where treatment is already being performed correctly for more than 15 days, and prefer to remain in a ventilated and illuminated environment.
But it is important to note that tuberculosis can only be transmitted by people with pulmonary tuberculosis, and all other types of extra pulmonary tuberculosis such as miliary, bone, intestinal or ganglion tuberculosis, for example, are not transmitted from one person to another. To better understand what tuberculosis is and its major type, check out Tuberculosis.
How Transmission Happens
Tuberculosis is spread through the air when the infected person releases Koch's bacilli into the environment through coughing, sneezing or speaking.
Koch's bacillus can remain in the air for many hours, especially if it is a tight, dimly lit environment such as an enclosed room. So the main people who can get infected are those who live in the same environment as the person with tuberculosis, like sharing the same room, living in the same house or sharing the same work environment, for example. Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of a person with tuberculosis.
It is important to remember that the person diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis fails to transmit the disease within 15 days of starting treatment with the antibiotics recommended by the physician, but this will only happen if the treatment is strictly followed, otherwise it may contaminate others at any stage of the disease. disease.
Prevention of tuberculosis
The most important way to prevent tuberculosis is by taking the BCG vaccine, which is done in the first month of life. Although this vaccine does not prevent contamination by the Koch bacillus, it is able to prevent serious forms of the disease, such as miliary or meningeal tuberculosis, for example. Check out when to take and how BCG vaccine works against tuberculosis.
In addition, it is recommended to avoid living in the same environment as people with pulmonary tuberculosis, especially if you have not yet started treatment. If it can not be avoided, especially people who work in health centers or caregivers, it is necessary to use personal protective equipment, such as the N95 mask.
In addition, for those people who lived with tuberculosis infected, the doctor may indicate a prevention treatment, with the antibiotic Isoniazid, if a high risk of developing the disease is identified, and it has been ruled out by exams such as Radio-x or PPD.
