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You are here: Home › About TB

About TB

TB is an infectious illness caused by airborne bacteria. It can cause serious health problems – particularly if it is not caught early. But TB is curable, and testing and treatment are free in the UK.

For specific information about TB in the UK, please visit our sister site The Truth About TB.

What is TB?

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection caused by a bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB bacteria are released into the air when someone with infectious TB coughs or sneezes.

Global TB challenges

Of the nine million people who become ill with TB every year, three million of them don’t get the care they need.

TB in time

TB has been with us for thousands of years. Evidence of TB has been found in Egyptian mummies, and the disease was thought to be common in both ancient Greece and Imperial Rome.

TB dictionary

Our handy TB dictionary can help you find out the meaning of all those terms you may hear if you’re being treated for TB or supporting someone through their treatment.

 

  • About TB
    • What is TB?
    • Global TB challenges
    • TB in time
    • TB dictionary
    • TB resources

Last Tweets

  • UK Govt's departure from previous leadership in Global Fund support will lead to many extra TB deaths and untreated illness. The GBP1 billion over 3 years pledge (@FCDOGovUK) is a 30% cut, meanwhile other G7 countries have increased by 30%. Disappointing and, ultimately, tragic., Nov 16
  • It a moral imperative to treat vulnerable people seeking asylum well - it is also in our interests. Cramped, unventilated and unsanitary conditions allow infectious diseases to take hold. Infections which, like TB, know no borders and can affect anyone: https://t.co/htHVkNrM3t, Oct 31
  • We predicted this at the beginning of the pandemic and sadly it has come to pass. TB is an age old pandemic that continues to cost millions of lives annually. https://t.co/3G5BtdTQ6F, Oct 28
  • TB Alert sends a huge thanks to Jonny and Varry Lavin who together have scaled enormous heights in the last few years. These began with Varry conquering TB and peaked when Jonny reached the summit of Mount Kilimajaro, at the culmination of a massive fundraising effort. https://t.co/PPfrIrK5QP
    , Oct 16
  • TB Alert joins the nation in mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth, seen here visiting a tuberculosis patient in 1951. https://t.co/wel3Fb7Wlr
    , Sep 8

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