No, you cannot pass tuberculosis (TB) to your family unless you have active TB disease in your lungs. Only individuals with active TB in their lungs can spread the bacteria through the air when they cough or sneeze. People with TB infection, which is a latent form of the disease, are not contagious and do not pose a risk to their family members.
Understanding TB Transmission
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection primarily spread through the air. The bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, are released into the air when a person with active TB disease coughs, speaks, or sings. These airborne germs can then be inhaled by others, leading to infection.
- Active TB: Individuals with active TB disease in their lungs are contagious and can spread the infection.
- Latent TB: People with latent TB infection are not contagious. They carry the bacteria but don't have active disease and are unable to spread it.
Who is at Risk?
The risk of TB transmission is primarily limited to close contacts of individuals with active, pulmonary TB. This includes family members living in the same household. However, the risk is significantly reduced by proper diagnosis and treatment of the infected person.
According to the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/tb/causes/index.html), TB germs spread through the air from person to person, and only those with active TB disease in the lungs can spread the germ. It's also important to note that TB is not spread through sharing everyday items like dishes, clothes, or linens (https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthlinkbc-files/home-isolation-tuberculosis-tb).
Contact investigations, as mentioned by the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/tb/exposure/index.html), are crucial in limiting the spread of TB. These investigations identify close contacts of those with active TB and assess their risk.
In summary, the ability to spread TB to family members hinges on the presence of active pulmonary TB disease. Those with latent TB infection are not contagious.
