Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that usually affects the lungs but can also affect any part of the body. Tuberculosis is preventable, treatable and curable.

About Tuberculosis

Symptoms include:

  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss
  • Coughing for more than three weeks
  • Chest pain

Only a small percentage of people infected with TB become sick and experience symptoms. There are two types of diagnoses:

  • Active TB disease: when someone has tested positive for infection and the bacteria is growing in the body. Somem ay experience symptoms and some may not.
  • Latent TB infection (LTBI): when someone has tested positive for the infection, but the bacteria is inactive and cannot be spread. Clients diagnosed with LTBI generally do not have symptoms.

TB is contagious but is not easily spread from one person to another:

  • It is spread through the air when people with the active disease in their lungs cough, sneeze, speak or sing
  • People nearby may breathe in the bacteria and become infected
  • To become infected, you must have close and prolonged contact with someone who has the active disease in their lungs

What York Region Does

York Region’s Tuberculosis Control Program offers the following services:

  • Identification and treatment for all cases of TB disease
  • Follow-up and management of:
    • Close contacts exposed to TB
    • Those identified as having latent TB infection (LTBI)
  • Tuberculin Skin Tests (TST) for clients and contacts without access to a healthcare provider that manages active TB cases
  • Publicly funded medication for those who have TB Support and follow-up for individuals under immigration medical surveillance for TB
  • Virtual or in-person treatment observation visits, referred to as direct observation therapy (DOT) and/or virtual direction observation therapy (VDOT), to those infected with TB to:
    • Ensure they receive and take their TB medications
    • Monitor for side effects
    • Provide social support or referrals to other agencies, as needed
  • TB information/education sessions to community groups and workplaces
  • Policy development consultations and collaborations with community partners

Contact York Region Public Health 

For information about our services or to speak to a public health nurse, please contact our Tuberculosis Intake Line at 1-877-464-9675 ext. 76000.

Related Resources

External Resources