Medical Disclaimer

Our pages explain what CDC, WHO and other named sources say about TB. They are written by a researcher and editor, not by a clinician. No doctor or nurse reviews them. A page cannot know your history, your test results or the medicines you take.

• Not a diagnosis. Only a health professional can tell you whether you have TB infection or TB disease.
• Not a treatment plan. Never start, stop or change a TB medicine because of something you read here.
• Not a test reader you can rely on. A skin test is read by a trained health worker, in person.
• Not a reply to your own case. We do not answer personal medical questions by email.

For TB care, contact your doctor or your state or county health department. Health departments run TB programs that test, treat and follow up people with TB. Some offer testing and treatment free or at low cost. Our page on the tuberculosis (TB) clinic explains what these clinics do.

• To find a test, see TB test near me or the guide to a free TB test.
• For questions about treatment, start with your doctor or the tuberculosis treatment page.
• For complex or drug-resistant TB, see who tuberculosis specialists are.

In an emergency, call 911.

TB medicines can cause serious side effects, including liver injury. If you are taking a TB medicine and feel unwell, call the provider who prescribed it. Do not wait for a page on this site to tell you what to do.

We check every page against its sources before it is published, and we date each source. Guidance can change after a page was last updated. Your doctor or health department has the current advice for you. Our editorial policy explains how pages are checked and corrected.

Our pages cite and link to outside sources such as CDC and WHO. We do not control those sites, and a link is not an endorsement by them of this site.