From the City of Hiroshima: Tuberculosis awareness

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease. It spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze, or spit. There are some people who, despite being infected with TB bacteria, do not present symptoms or develop TB, spending rest of their lives with TB bacteria. However, when their immune systems become weaken with age, for example, they are susceptible to developing TB.

Common symptoms of TB are similar to symptoms of the common cold, such as prolonged low-grade fever, cough (sometimes with sputum), and fatigue. If you fall ill with TB disease and do not undergo any treatment, your condition may get worse, sometimes resulting in death. In addition, you might spread tuberculosis infection to your family, friends and people close to you.

60% of people infected with TB in Japan are aged 70 and over. However, recently young people who were born in foreign countries are increasingly contracting TB, accounting for 70% of infected people in their 20s in Japan.

If you have prolonged cold symptoms, please go to your primary care physician and seek medical attention as soon as possible. For early detection please take advantage of receiving a regular health check-up held at a school or workplace if available. If you are advised to take a follow-up examination at a health check-up, an early examination is recommended.

Inquiries: Health Promotion Division (Kenkō Suishin Ka) Tel: 082-504-2882