Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Most cases reported in New Zealand are in people from overseas. TB that most commonly affects the lungs, but can also affect the lymph nodes, bones, joints and kidneys. It can cause meningitis.

In New Zealand, notification rates of TB are around 7 - 10 per 100,000 a year. While life-threatening complications such as haemorrhage from the lungs are now rare, TB can still be a very serious disease, particularly for older people.

Tuberculosis is spread through coughing, sneezing or spitting. The bacteria are carried into the air, and people nearby can breathe them in through their mouths and noses. You need to live or work closely with an infected person to catch the disease.

Tuberculosis can stay dormant (latent) in someone’s body for many years before it develops. Even though you feel well, the doctor may still advise treatment to make sure you do not develop TB disease.

TB can be a very serious disease, sometimes resulting in:

• major haemorrhage from the lungs (now rare)
• death (now rare, more likely in elderly people)
• 387 out of 1 million infants may develop enlarged lymph nodes and a local abscess (very rare)

People with tuberculosis don’t always show symptoms. If you’re healthy, your body can usually stop the TB bacteria from growing. But these are the most common symptoms if they do present:

• a cough lasting 3 weeks or more, often with thick phlegm
• tiredness
• night sweats
• weight loss
• swollen glands (usually in your neck)
• coughing up blood is a widely known symptom of TB, but if this occurs, it will happen a long time after someone is infected

If you think you may have TB, it’s important to see your doctor. They can arrange tests to see if you’re infected. If you do have the disease, people you have regular contact with will need to be tested too.

TB is treated with a combination of antibiotics, which need to be taken for at least 6 months. Sometimes longer courses are needed, such as for TB meningitis.

People usually begin to feel better 2–4 weeks after starting treatment, but it is very important to finish the treatment, or the disease will get worse again.

You can’t catch TB from a person who has been taking the antibiotics for 2 weeks or more.

If the answer to any of the questions below is yes, your baby is eligible for the BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) immunisation.

• Will your baby be living in a house with a person who has TB or has a history of TB?
• During their first 5 years, will your baby be living for 3 months or longer in a country with a high TB rate?
• Within the last 5 years, has a parent or carer of the baby, or a household member, lived for 6 months or longer in a country with a high TB rate?

Babies at risk of catching tuberculosis can be given the BCG immunisation when they’re born.

• Children under 5 years of age who are at risk of TB exposure are also eligible for the BCG vaccine.
• In some circumstances, the local Medical Officer of Health may also recommend BCG vaccination for specific populations.

• Papua New Guinea (exceptionally high)
• most of Africa
• much of South America
• Russia and the former Soviet states
• Indian subcontinent
• China, including Hong Kong
• South East Asia (except Singapore)

Countries like Fiji, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands report lower but still concerning levels of TB .