Can latent TB be transmitted?

TB bacteria can remain in the body without causing active disease. In that latent state, a person does not release the bacteria into the air by coughing or speaking and does not pass the infection to household members in the usual way. Active TB is different: bacteria are multiplying and illness may involve the lungs, where close indoor exposure can allow airborne spread. A positive TB test therefore calls for assessment, not assumptions about contagiousness.

Follow the plan from your screening clinic and share the result with the clinician managing your care. Tuberculosis Screening can help establish what evaluation is needed. If active TB is excluded, preventive antibiotic treatment may lower the chance of future disease. Take treatment as prescribed and attend follow-up. If active TB is suspected, follow instructions about testing, ventilation and avoiding close contact until the care team advises otherwise.

Tell the clinician if you live with young children or anyone with reduced immune protection, because this may affect the urgency and follow-up plan. See more on Tuberculosis and Antibiotic Treatment.

Arrange prompt assessment if you develop a persistent cough, coughing blood, fever, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, chest pain or breathlessness. These symptoms can signal active TB or another illness. If you have been told you may have active TB, follow the clinic's infection-control advice while testing is underway and seek urgent help for severe breathing difficulty or coughing blood.

Ask whether your result indicates latent or active infection, whether household contacts need screening, what precautions apply while tests are pending, and whether preventive antibiotics are appropriate. Ask how to recognise treatment side effects and when you can resume normal activities if active TB is diagnosed.