Tuberculosis (TB): Prevention and risks

On this page

How tuberculosis spreads

Tuberculosis is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is a disease that mainly affects the lungs and airways. Tuberculosis is spread from human to human through the release of droplets from the lungs or airways of an infected person. This can happen through:

To be infected, you have to breathe in the tuberculosis bacteria.

You cannot get infected by:

Preventing tuberculosis

For most Canadians, the risk of being exposed to tuberculosis is very low. If you have been in contact with someone who has active tuberculosis or think you may have, consult your health care provider.

If you plan to travel to countries with high rates of tuberculosis, visit a health care provider or travel health clinic 6 weeks before you leave. If you believe you are at risk of getting tuberculosis, ask about getting a skin test:

If you have a job where you could be exposed to tuberculosis, your workplace should have:

It should include policies and procedures that:

Who is at most risk

Your risk increases if you:

Other factors that could put you at higher risk include if you:

Bovine tuberculosis

Human cases of bovine tuberculosis are rare in developed countries because of pasteurization and testing programs.

If you are travelling to rural areas abroad, you should be aware of the risks associated with bovine tuberculosis. You can get bovine tuberculosis if you:

Page details

2024-02-21