TB disease in the lungs may cause:

• bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
• pain in the chest
• coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)

• Close contacts of persons exposed to contagious persons withTB
• Foreign-born persons, including children, who have immigratedwithin the last 5 years from areas that have a high TB incidence
• Residents and employees of high-risk congregate settings(prisons, nursing homes, homeless shelters, drug treatmentfacilities, and healthcare facilities)
• Healthcare workers who serve high-risk clients
• Some medically underserved, low-income populations as defined locally
• High-risk racial or ethnic minority populations defined locally
• Infants, children, and adolescents exposed to adults in high-risk categories
• Persons who inject illicit drugs or other locally identified high-risk substance users

• People with HIV, immune suppression illnesses and/or treatments that suppress the immune system
• Children younger than 5 years of age
• People infected with M. tuberculosis in the last two years
• People with a history of untreated or incomplete treatment of TB disease
• Persons with silicosis; chronic renal failure; leukemia; or cancer of the head, neck, or lung
• Persons with diabetes mellitus
• Persons who have had a gastrectomy or jejunoileal bypass
• Persons with low body weight (<90% of ideal body weight)
• People who use substances (such as injection drug use)
• Populations defined locally as having an increased incidence of TB, including medically underserved and low-income populations

• Anyone can get TB. Tuberculosis bacteria (TB) is spread through the air. TB cases are found in all states.
• TB is not a disease of the past. Up to 13 million people in the United States have TB infection. With TB infection you don’t feel sick, don’t have any symptoms, and can’t spread TB.
• TB can happen anywhere. However, without treatment 5%-10% of people with TB infection will develop TB disease at some point. The risk is much higher for people with certain medical conditions.
• TB infection can be treated. Treatment is effective and can prevent the development of TB disease.
• If you’re at high risk for TB infection, talk to your healthcare provider about testing and treatment. If you’ve spent time with someone with TB disease or someone with symptoms of TB, you should be tested.

Learn more about TB by visiting the  SC DHEC's TB webpage at www.scdhec.gov/tb or by visiting the South Carolina Tuberculosis Association's webpage at www.sctba.org.