Tuberculosis (TB)

Minority Women's Health > Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians > Health Topics > Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that can affect any part of your body, but it usually attacks your lungs. TB is spread through the air. If someone with TB of the lungs or throat coughs or sneezes, people nearby who breathe in the bacteria can get TB. If your body can't stop the bacteria from growing, you will develop TB disease. If this happens and the TB is in the lungs, it can cause these symptoms:

a bad cough that won't go away (with blood or phlegm)
chest pain
fatigue (feeling very tired)
weight loss
loss of appetite
chills
fever
night sweats

If you think you may have TB, see your doctor right away. TB can be treated and cured.

In 2005, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders had the highest TB rates of any group in the U.S. The TB case rate in 2005 for this group was almost 20 times higher than the rate for Whites. The good news is that TB case rates for Asian Americans decreased 14 percent between 2003 and 2005, which was almost double the decrease seen in African Americans and Hispanic Americans/Latinas.

Publications

Questions and Answers About TB (Tuberculosis) - This booklet gives thorough yet easy to understand explanations of Tuberculosis (TB), how it is spread, and discusses Latent TB Infection, and TB Disease, providing important information that patients need to know to prevent problems.
http://www.cdc.gov/tb/faqs/default.htm
Tuberculosis: Getting Healthy, Staying Healthy - This is an easy to read fact sheet about how to know if you have tuberculosis and how your doctor will diagnose and treat it.
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/tuberculosis/Understanding/PDF/TB.pdf
Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders and Lung Disease (Copyright © ALA) - This fact sheet discusses the prevalence of lung disease within the Asian American and Pacific Islander populations.
http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=36054
Translated Tuberculosis Educational Materials/Materiales Educativos Traducidos (Copyright © MDH) - These translated brochures discuss tuberculosis disease and infection, as well as tests for and treatment of tuberculosis. Translated materials are available in Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Cambodian, Hmong, Lao, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tibetan, and Vietnamese.
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/tb/factsheets/translations.html...
Tuberculosis Fact Sheet (Copyright © ALA) - This publication discusses the difference between TB infection and TB disease, symptoms of TB, modes of transmission, testing, and innovative treatment options.
http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=34706&ct=67253

Organizations

= Indicates Federal Resources

Current as of December 2007