Infection with tuberculosis occurs through the air, when you breathe the air contaminated with the Koch bacillus, which causes the infection. Thus, contagion with this disease is more frequent when you are close to a person with tuberculosis or when you enter an environment where a person with the disease has recently been.
However, for the bacillus that causes the disease to be present in the air, a person with pulmonary or throat tuberculosis must speak, sneeze or cough. In other words, tuberculosis is only transmitted by people with pulmonary tuberculosis, and all other types of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis, such as miliary, bone, intestinal or ganglionic tuberculosis, for example, are not transmitted from one person to another.
The main way to prevent tuberculosis is through the BCG vaccine, which must be administered in childhood. In addition, it is recommended to avoid staying in places where there are people with suspected infection, except in cases where the treatment has been carried out correctly for more than 15 days. To better understand what tuberculosis is and its main types, check out Tuberculosis.
How the transmission happens
The contagion of tuberculosis happens through the air, when the infected person throws Koch bacilli in the environment, through coughing, sneezing or speaking.
Koch's bacillus can remain in the air for many hours, especially if it is a tight and poorly ventilated environment, such as a closed room. Thus, the main people who can become infected are those who live in the same environment as the person with tuberculosis, such as 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 stops transmitting the disease 15 days after the start of treatment with antibiotics recommended by the doctor, but this only happens if the treatment is followed strictly.
What does not transmit tuberculosis
Although pulmonary tuberculosis is an easily transmitted infection, it does not pass through:
- Handshake, share food or drink, wear clothes of the infected person;
In addition, kisses also do not cause transmission of the disease, since the presence of pulmonary secretions is necessary to transport Koch's bacillus, which does not happen in kissing.
How to avoid the disease
The most important and effective way to prevent tuberculosis infection is by taking the BCG vaccine, performed in the first month of life. Although this vaccine does not prevent contamination by Koch's bacillus, it is able to prevent severe forms of the disease, such as miliary or meningeal tuberculosis, for example. Check when to take and how the BCG tuberculosis vaccine works.
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 is not possible to avoid it, especially people who work in health centers or caregivers, it is necessary to use personal protective equipment, such as the N95 type mask.
In addition, for those who have lived with people infected with tuberculosis, the doctor may recommend preventive treatment, with the antibiotic Isoniazid, if a high risk of developing the disease is identified, and it has been ruled out by tests such as Radio-x or PPD.
