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F�112 11i UR After several decades of decline, tuberculosis (TB) is on the rise again in the United States. An infectious disease that usually begins in the lungs, TB may spread to the brain, kidney, or spine. Most people who are infected with TB will never get the active disease, but it could pros;ress to disease if not treated NtiTlth Medication. How TQ Infection Occurs TB can be spread Nvhcn a person with active TI1 disease crn�ghs, shouts. or laughs, sprayi;:._ h;.(_1-ia-containin::ted droplets inw th:: air. -i lie infection is most lilcclyto be spread in small, poorly ventilated rooms, and usually results from exposure over a period of time. ,'.#i�r �� `�f x r tet.. y �a ,!' .•. „y„ r.�� `".w i�!" 4 f Inactive TB In most people, infectious TB bacteria remain inactive for a lifetime—their immune systems.prevent the infection from progressing.A person who is infected with inactive TB isn't sick, doesn't have symptoms, and can't infect others. In fact, the only way to know if you've been infected is to get tested. That's why it's vital for health care workers to have a TB skin . test once or twice a year. If you are infected,medication can help ensure that it will not become an active disease. Active TB n'�m Inactive infection becomes active disease if the TB bacteria grow and begin to attack a body organ,often the lungs.Symptoms may include persistent coughing, fatigue, weight loss, fever, loss Medication for TB ' of appetite, and night sweats. If left untreated, TB can be fatal. must be taken consis- Fortunately, when taken properly, medication can completely tently and completely cure the disease. People who stop their medications or who take to cure the disease. them irregularly may develop drug-resistant TB, which is sometimes impossible to cure. 4