Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis, or TB, is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. It is spread by the person with TB in their lungs by coughing, laughing, singing, speaking sneezing, and then inhaling that air. It generally affects the lungs, but can cause disease anywhere in the body. The bacteria may infect anyone, at any age. General symptoms of TB disease include feeling sick or weak, having weight loss, fever, and/or night sweats. The symptoms of TB of the lungs may include coughing, chest pain, and/or coughing up blood. Other symptoms depend on the part of the body that is affected. TB is treated with antibiotics.

For Utah TB rates and other indicators, please see the Utah’s Indicator Based Information System (IBIS) health indicator report of tuberculosis.