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Latent TB 1(short Version)

Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 5:26 pm
by auntiebi0tic
Latent TB (sleeping TB)

What is Latent or Sleeping TB?

People with latent TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. They are infected with the TB bacteria, but do not have TB disease. TB bacteria can sleep in your body for years.

The risk is that Latent TB can become active and make you ill and infectious to other people.


You are at risk of sleeping TB if:

You were born or lived in a high-risk country for more than 6 months.
Your chest x-ray was clear – sleeping TB does not show on x-rays
You have had a BCG vaccination – the vaccination does not protect you for life

Anyone who has arrived in the UK from one of these countries shown on the map below within the past 5 years can be tested.



For a longer more technical version see Latent tb (longer technical version)