Tuberculosis Control Branch

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Am I at Risk?

   Anyone can get TB,
   but some people are
   more at risk than
   others.

   If you are concerned that
   you are at risk for TB,
   please speak to your doctor
   about getting tested. It is the
   only way to find out if you have
TB germs in your body.

Other communities at high risk for TB

People living or working in high-risk settings

Some examples include:

hospitals
nursing homes
jails or prisons
living shelters (examples: shelters for the homeless or women's shelters)

Children

If children are exposed to TB germs, they are at high risk of getting sick with TB. This is because their immune system is not strong enough to fight off TB germs. Please visit our TB and Children webpage for more information.

People consuming dairy products that have unsafe bacteria

Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) is a bacteria that causes a certain type of TB. You can get M. bovis from consuming dairy products that are not pasteurized (a process that removes bacteria). For more information, please see our Bovine TB Fact Sheet (PDF).

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who is at a high risk for developing TB disease?

Those who are at high risk of developing TB disease include:
People with HIV infection or other health conditions that weaken the immune system; People who recently became infected with TB germs; Some people who are struggling with substance abuse; Babies and young children because their immune system has not fully developed; Elderly people; People who did not receive the correct treatment for TB in the past

If I have HIV, why am I at more at risk for TB?

People living with HIV are more likely to develop TB because they have weakened immune system. Having a weakened immune system makes you more open to getting sick if someone around you is sick with TB and you breathe in the TB germs.

I was born in another country and received the BCG vaccine? It is supposed to protect me against TB right?

The BCG vaccine is given to people in some countries at an early age to protect against TB. As people get older, the vaccine does not work to provide protection so you can still get latent TB infection and TB disease. You should speak to your doctor about getting a blood test to check if you have been exposed to TB germs. Learn more about BCG at the CDC BCG Vaccine webpage.

I am in college and I studied abroad for a semester in the Thailand. Am I at risk for TB?

If you were in contact with someone who has had TB or lived in a home where someone had TB, you could have been exposed to the TB germs. The best way to find out if you are at risk is by speaking to your doctor.

Page Last Updated : March 19, 2020