• Question: How do you treat patience with TB and because it is very contagious would you not be at risk of getting it?

    Asked by stephanie bennett to Emma on 14 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Emma Roycroft

      Emma Roycroft answered on 14 Nov 2016:


      Great question! It is a bacteria so we can treat it with antibiotics. But it is a very clever bacteria so just one antibiotic is not enough. If you get TB, you have to be on at least three drugs for 6-9 months! And if it is resistant TB, it could be 2 years, and it may not work. Yes, you’re right, it is highly contagious, so we have to work with it in a containment level 3 laboratory. That is a laboratory that has special cabinets in it that protect us from the TB, and if there is an accident, the lab can be fumigated to kill any TB that has spilled.

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