Preventing TB  

If you have active TB disease, it will take a few weeks of treatment before you can no longer spread TB bacteria to others. Until your healthcare provider tells you to go back to your daily routine, here are ways to protect yourself and others near you: 

• Take your medication exactly as directed. 

• Wear a mask around others. 

• When you cough, sneeze or laugh, cover your mouth with a tissue and throw it out promptly. 

• Do not go to work or school. 

• Avoid close contact with anyone and sleep in a bedroom alone. 

• Air out your room often to prevent infecting others (improve ventilation). 

To Avoid Getting TB 

• Do not spend a long time in stuffy, enclosed rooms with anyone who has Active TB until that person has been treated for at least 2 weeks or until cleared by their health care provider. 

• Use protective measures, such as facemasks or social distancing, if you live with someone that has untreated TB or work in a facility that cares for people who have untreated TB.  

• If you live with someone with Active TB, encourage the person to follow treatment instructions. 

BCG Vaccine  

There is a vaccine to prevent TB called Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG). The BCG vaccine is mainly used to protect babies and young children against TB if they are living in an area with a lot of TB.  In Canada, very few people get the BCG vaccine. Other countries with high numbers of people with TB do still provide the BCG vaccine. Read more about the BCG vaccine from Health Canada.