TB Contact Investigation

TB Protect Your Family and
Friends from Tuberculosis

The TB Contact Investigation
What’s Inside:
Read this brochure today to learn how to
protect your family and friends from TB.
Then share it with people in your life.
2
Contents
Anyone can get TB.................................................................... 5
Follow Kelly’s tips....................................................................... 6
Talking with your healthcare worker................................... 6
Get your questions answered................................................ 7
A word for contacts..................................................................10
3
Did you know?
People with TB disease can pass TB germs to others. But if
they take the TB medicine the right way, they won’t pass TB
germs to others.
“No one likes to think they have given someone TB.”
4
Anyone can get TB
If you have TB disease, you are doing the right thing by sharing the names of
people you spent time with when you were able to pass TB germs to others. By
helping your doctor or healthcare provider to do a TB contact investigation,
you are helping your family and friends stay well. And you are helping to
make sure your community stays healthy.
Here is what Kelly had to say about contact investigation:

“My healthcare worker asked for the names of my contacts, people I spent
time with before I got treatment—when I could still pass TB germs on to
others. My healthcare worker said she needed to do a contact investigation.
This means calling or visiting people to let them know they should be tested
for TB. I knew my family and friends needed to find out if they had TB, so,
together we made a list of my contacts.”
How is TB spread?
TB germs are passed through the air when a person who is sick with TB
disease coughs, laughs, sings, or sneezes. Anyone nearby can breathe in these
TB germs and get TB infection. People with TB infection cannot pass TB
germs to others. But if left untreated, TB infection can turn into TB disease.
5
The good news is that TB can be
prevented, treated, and cured.
Follow Kelly’s tips:
• Think about your contacts. Contacts are family members, friends, neighbors,
co-workers, and others who spent time with you when you were sick.
• Give the names of your contacts to your healthcare worker. Don’t let
being embarrassed keep you from listing people you may have given
TB germs.
• Think of how you are helping those around you stay well. Protect your
family and friends.
• Learn all you can about TB.
Talking with your healthcare worker:
Your healthcare worker may ask you some or all of these questions during the
contact investigation.
About your symptoms:

Your healthcare worker may ask: “How long have you been coughing?”
“When did you first start to feel sick?”
About places you have been:

Your healthcare worker may ask, “Where did you spend time when you were
feeling sick and coughing? Where did you live? Did you go to school? Where
did you hang out when you were not at home or working?”
6
About people you spent time with:
Your healthcare worker may ask, “Who are the family members, friends,
neighbors, and co-workers you’ve spent time with while coughing?”
Get your questions answered.

Will my healthcare worker get in touch with all the people I listed?
Your healthcare worker will decide which people need to be contacted based
on the information you give. It is important for the healthcare worker to be
in touch with people you may have given TB germs. These friends, family
members, co-workers, or classmates may have TB infection. That means they
have dormant (sleeping) TB germs in their body, so they may not feel sick. If
they get treatment for TB infection, they won’t get sick with TB disease. If
they already have TB disease, they will need treatment right away.
What about my privacy?

Some people with TB disease are afraid they will lose their job if others learn
they passed TB germs to people at work. Others may be worried their friends
and family will reject them. What you need to know is that the information
you share with the healthcare worker is kept private and personal.
If your healthcare worker has to talk with your supervisor:

Your healthcare worker will be extra careful when talking to people at your
work. In most cases, a contact investigation can be done without giving your
name. Your name will ONLY be given to a supervisor if it is needed to make
sure the right people get tested for TB. The healthcare worker will ask your
supervisor to not give your name to your co-workers.
7
Your healthcare workers will do everything they can to protect
your privacy.
• Your healthcare worker will take steps to make sure your name is not
mentioned in a contact investigation. Even if your contact already knows
that you have TB, your healthcare worker will not give out your name.
• Your healthcare worker will only give your name to doctors, nurses, and
other healthcare workers who are taking care of you.
Your healthcare worker may:
• Call or visit the people you name.
• Talk to a group of people at your work, school, or place of worship.
Your healthcare worker will suggest the contacts get a TB skin test or TB
blood test and provide information on where to get tested.
8
“A nurse told us we had been around someone
with TB disease and we might have TB infection.
She said if we do have TB infection and don’t get
treatment, we can go on to get TB disease. And
that can make us very sick. We’re going to the
”
clinic today to get a TB skin test or TB blood test.
9
A word for contacts:
What should you do if you have been named as a contact of
someone with TB disease?
FIRST: A healthcare worker will call you on the phone or come to see you.
The worker will not tell you the name of the person who may have passed TB
germs to you.
NEXT: After talking to you, a healthcare worker may suggest that you see a
doctor or nurse for an examination. The exam may include a TB skin test or
TB blood test and a chest x-ray.
FINALLY: If you have TB infection, take control now. Follow your healthcare
worker’s advice. Stop TB infection before you go on to get TB disease.
10
If a healthcare worker contacts you:
Talk with the healthcare worker. Find out all you can about TB. Get a TB skin
test or TB blood test if the healthcare worker says you need one.
Talking with family and friends.

Some people do not understand how TB is spread or how it is treated. They
may be afraid of getting TB from sharing dishes or drinking containers with
someone who has TB. It may be helpful to share the facts you have learned
about TB with your family and others who are close to you, especially if they
are worried about their health or your health. Learning the facts may help
lower their fears.
11
TB is a serious disease.
If you have TB disease, you are doing the right thing by giving names of
people you have spent time with to your healthcare worker. If you know you
have been around someone with TB disease, call your doctor or clinic and
ask about getting a TB skin test or TB blood test.
Setting up an appointment for your TB skin test

or TB blood test:
Date:
Time:
Location:
Phone:
Name of healthcare worker or clinic:
12
Take steps to control TB.
DO IT FOR YOUR HEALTH — DO IT FOR YOUR FAMILY.
I took steps to protect my family.

“First I gave names of people I spent time with to my
healthcare worker. Then my family got tested for
TB. Everyone had a TB skin test or TB blood test. We
are following our doctor’s advice and taking steps
to protect our health. And that’s important to us. ”
13
Notes
14
Notes
15
For more information on TB, call your
local heath department at
or visit the CDC Division of

Tuberculosis Elimination website at
http://www.cdc.gov/tb
Developed in partnership with the Global Tuberculosis Institute at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Produced 2008 | Reprinted 2015
CS252981-A

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TB Protect Your Family and

Friends from Tuberculosis

Follow Kelly’s tips....................................................................... 6

Talking with your healthcare worker................................... 6

Get your questions answered................................................ 7

A word for contacts..................................................................10

“No one likes to think they have given someone TB.”

Here is what Kelly had to say about contact investigation:

About your symptoms:

About places you have been:

Get your questions answered.

What about my privacy?

If your healthcare worker has to talk with your supervisor:

Talking with family and friends.

Setting up an appointment for your TB skin test

Name of healthcare worker or clinic:

I took steps to protect my family.

or visit the CDC Division of

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