How easy is it get TUBERCULOSIS from someone who has been exposed to it?

Question

a girl at work said she has tested positive for it. Are we are risk of it being contagious to us? I am concerned. thanks for any knowledgeable answers in advance

Answer 1

TB is spread by aerosol droplets expelled by people with the active disease of the lungs when they cough, sneeze, speak, kiss, spit or use the unsterilized eating utensils of the infected person. These infectious droplets are 0.5 to 5 µm in diameter and about 40,000 can be produced by a single sneeze.[16] People with prolonged, frequent, or intense contact are at highest risk of becoming infected, with an estimated 22% infection rate. A person with untreated, active tuberculosis can infect 10–15 other people per year.[2] Others at risk include those from areas where TB is common, patients immunocompromised by conditions such as HIV/AIDS, residents and employees of high-risk congregate settings, health care workers who serve high-risk clients, medically under served, low-income populations, high-risk racial or ethnic minority populations, children exposed to adults in high-risk categories, people who take immunosuppressant drugs, and people who inject illicit drugs.[17]

Transmission can only occur from people with active—not latent—TB disease. The probability of transmission from one person to another depends upon the quantity of the infectious droplets expelled by the patient, the effectiveness of ventilation, the duration of exposure, and the virulence of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain.[9] The chain of transmission can therefore be broken by isolating patients with active disease and starting effective anti-tuberculous therapy.

I got this from wikipedia.org

Answer 2

It is quite possible to get it especially if she coughs and the water droplets go through the air when you are in the vicinity of her.
Tuberculosis years ago was all but eradicated from this country but over the years with un controlled immigration of people comming from everywhere in the world many of them sneaking in here illegally they have not been checked by health specialists before being allowed to enter this country that is why tuberculosis is on the rise and in recent years there has been a virulent strain which is resisitant to the standard medical treatment of active tuberculosis.

Just be careful and make sure your hands are constantly washed and keep your health up so your immune system will be strong and you will be safer that way.

Also if she gets a cold stay as far away as you possibly can without getting her upset. Just be cautious and take precautions if she gets a cold as that is when she may cough or sneeze and the water droplets may go into the air.

You do not have to be overly paranoid. Just be cautious.

Answer 3

Hi ███Htown Chino███Go Rockets!! All cases of TB are passed from person to person via droplets. When someone with TB infection coughs, sneezes, or talks, tiny droplets of saliva or mucus are expelled into the air, which can be inhaled by another person. 1• Once infectious particles reach the alveoli (small saclike structures in the air spaces in the lungs), another cell, called the macrophage, engulfs the TB bacteria. ◦ Then the bacteria are transmitted to the lymphatic system and bloodstream and spread to other organs occurs. ◦ The bacteria further multiply in organs that have high oxygen pressures, such as the upper lobes of the lungs, the kidneys, bone marrow, and meninges -- the membrane-like coverings of the brain and spinal cord. 2• When the bacteria cause clinically detectable disease, you have TB. 3• People who have inhaled the TB bacteria, but in whom the disease is controlled, are referred to as infected. Their immune system has walled off the organism in an inflammatory focus known as a granuloma. They have no symptoms, frequently have a positive skin test for TB, yet cannot transmit the disease to others. This is referred to as latent tuberculosis infection or LTBI. 4• Risk factors for TB include the following: ◦ HIV infection ◦ low socioeconomic status ◦ alcoholism ◦ homelessness ◦ crowded living conditions ◦ diseases that weaken the immune system ◦ migration from a country with a high number of cases ◦ health-care workers Take Care. Regards.

Answer 4

Here's the bottom line: TB can't be spread unsless the person who has it has an active infection of TB. There are different reasons as to why a person might test positive for TB, but it can only be spread in certain circumstances. Most people that have an active TB infection will be put on specific antibiotics and will have periodic chest X-rays done. It is possible to have a postive test result for TB and not be able to spread it. So rest easy-unless your coworker has an active infection, you are fine.

Answer 5

TB is spread by aerosol droplets expelled by people with the active disease of the lungs when they cough, sneeze, speak, kiss, spit or use the unsterilized eating utensils of the infected person. These infectious droplets are 0.5 to 5 µm in diameter and about 40,000 can be produced by a single sneeze. People with prolonged, frequent, or intense contact are at highest risk of becoming infected, with an estimated 22% infection rate. A person with untreated, active tuberculosis can infect 10–15 other people per year.Others at risk include those from areas where TB is common, patients immunocompromised by conditions such as HIV/AIDS, residents and employees of high-risk congregate settings, health care workers who serve high-risk clients, medically under served, low-income populations, high-risk racial or ethnic minority populations, children exposed to adults in high-risk categories, and people who inject illicit drugs.

Transmission can only occur from people with active—not latent—TB disease. The probability of transmission from one person to another depends upon the quantity of the infectious droplets expelled by the patient, the effectiveness of ventilation, the duration of exposure, and the virulence of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain. The chain of transmission can therefore be broken by isolating patients with active disease and starting effective anti-tuberculous therapy.

Answer 6

This girl at work likely had a positive reaction to the Manitox test. If I am correct it means that she has been exposed to TB but it does not mean she has the disease. In general if someone does have TB it is extremely easy to transmit to others. All someone with TB has to do is cough, or sneeze, or even sing in your vicinity and you can be exposed to it.

Answer 7

Yes you are at risk. The mode of transmission for tuberculosis is droplet spray within 3 ft. So if you are talking to the person who has TB within 3ft there's always a chance for you to be expose to TB also.

My advice is to keep distance when talking to a person who has TB.

Answer 8

If girl at work test positive, maybe she has vaccinated early (BCG) and than she is positive reactor. If she is hyper-reactor on test, or have positive X-ray , or lab. results, you are in risk.