Last Updated: March 21, 2025
March 24, 2025 is World TB Day. The observance celebrates the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch discovered the type of bacteria that causes tuberculosis.
Although the observance highlights TB’s history and global reach, it’s important to know that TB is still very much with us and it impacts people directly in our communities. At RHHD, Tuberculosis Nurse Gabrielle Alvarez shares some key things to know about TB:
Anyone can get TB.
“You can be exposed to regardless of location, income, race, or country of origin,” Gabrielle says. “Even though it’s ‘World’ TB Day, it’s hyperlocal. People still stigmatize this illness, but anyone can be impacted.”
Most people with TB do not know they are infected.
TB germs can live in your body for years without making you sick. This phase of TB is called latent TB. People with latent TB are not contagious and do not experience symptoms, but their latent TB can become Active TB disease—symptomatic and contagious—at any time.
Gabrielle says that knowing the most typical TB symptoms can help you decide if you need to get tested and treated for TB. “If you have a cough that can’t go away or are losing a lot of weight without trying, it might be a sign that you have TB,” she says. “TB spreads through the air, so that cough can be dangerous to your family members and the people who are closest to you, especially children.”
If you are experiencing a long-lasting cough, you can call RHHD’s TB team at 804-482-5500. They can help you figure out if you need a TB test and which one is best for you.
The good news is that TB can be prevented and cured!
If you learn that you have latent—or “sleeping”—TB, your care team will work with you on a short course of preventative treatment. That will make sure TB germs go away without causing symptoms or passing to anyone else.
Active TB disease can also be treated, but the process is longer and includes regular medication over the course of 6 to 12 months. It is very important that people who have active TB disease take the medication exactly as prescribed for the entire length of the treatment. People who stop taking the medicine too soon can become sick again. If the medications are not taken correctly, germs that are still alive in the body may become resistant to those drugs. RHHD’s TB outreach workers make sure clients have what they need to stay on track with their medication.
Gabrielle suggests that anyone looking to understand TB’s history and global impact explore the new book Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (bonus points if you snag a copy from your local library!).
To learn more about RHHD’s Tuberculosis Program, visit the program website or follow us on Instagram (@richmondcity_hd) to hear from our experts directly!