Is tuberculosis contagious through sexual intercourse?

In the old society, tuberculosis was called pulmonary consumption. It was a relatively common infectious disease. After the founding of New China, with the improvement of medical conditions and the application of antibiotics, tuberculosis has been well treated. In recent years, with the increase of drug resistance, tuberculosis has made a comeback. For tuberculosis patients, it is important to understand the route of transmission. Although sexual life cannot spread tuberculosis, air and droplets can easily lead to the spread of this tuberculosis disease, so we must pay attention to this aspect.

Is tuberculosis contagious through sexual intercourse?

The main transmission routes of tuberculosis are air and droplet transmission; sexual intercourse cannot spread tuberculosis. Tuberculosis patients should be isolated. It’s best not to live in the same house. Patients with tuberculosis should not spit anywhere. Spit on paper and then burn it.

Tuberculosis transmission route

There are many ways of transmission of tuberculosis. We must be extra careful in our daily lives and seek treatment immediately if any suspected symptoms appear. So what are the ways of transmission of tuberculosis?

1. Air: This is the main route of transmission for tuberculosis patients. Coughing and sneezing will release a large number of droplets related to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. If these droplets are easily inhaled, you may be infected. If a tuberculosis patient spits on the ground and the sputum dries, the Mycobacterium tuberculosis and dust will mix in the air and be inhaled into the lungs of healthy people, which can also infect them.

2. Food infection: Tableware and food leftovers used by tuberculosis patients may be contaminated by tuberculosis bacteria and tuberculosis combined with tableware. Drinking unsterilized milk or dairy products may also cause tuberculosis infection. If you do not wash your hands carefully, you may also be infected if you come into contact with items used by patients.

3. Vertical transmission: During pregnancy, a mother with tuberculosis can pass the disease to the fetus through the umbilical cord blood. The fetus may also be infected by ingesting or inhaling amniotic fluid containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis, resulting in congenital tuberculosis.

How to prevent tuberculosis infection

If everyone has a certain understanding of tuberculosis, then in daily life, the occurrence of tuberculosis can be inhibited to a great extent. But once a family member is infected with tuberculosis, how can we prevent it?

The prevention of tuberculosis should start from three aspects: controlling the source of infection, cutting off the transmission route, and protecting susceptible populations. When tuberculosis patients go out for a walk, it is best to wear a mask to prevent the spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to normal people through the respiratory tract. For vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, appropriate action should be taken if a tuberculin test result is positive.

After a family member is found to have TB, they may or may not be hospitalized. The presence of tuberculosis bacilli in the patient's sputum indicates that the patient's condition is still in the active stage, active treatment is necessary, and isolation must be taken to prevent infection. Patients with tuberculosis should not spit because their sputum contains Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which will fly with the dust in the air and may cause infection if inhaled by people with low resistance. They should spit the liquid on paper and burn it.

When eating, it is best for tuberculosis patients to use tableware separately from their family members, use chopsticks, and place dishes on a separate tuberculosis patient's plate. Although tuberculosis patients mainly spread the disease through the respiratory tract, we must pay attention to prevention in our daily lives.