TB alert

Health Canada recommends that passengers of Air France's May 12 flight 385 (Atlanta-Paris) and Czech Air's May 24 flight 0104 (Prague-Montreal) phone them and get tested for TB.

A man infected with a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis was a passenger on those flights.

The man, a lawyer from Atlanta, and the other passengers were all identified.

What is TB?

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB usually attacks the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body such as the lymph nodes.

TB is spread when someone with infectious TB disease coughs, sending TB bacteria into the air. Another person can then breathe the bacteria into his/her lungs. This person's immune system may kill the TB germs. If the immune system doesn't kill the TB bacteria, the bacteria can remain alive but inactive in the body. This is called TB infection. A person with TB infection is not sick and cannot spread TB to others.

People with TB infection may progress to TB disease if their immune system weakens. A person with TB disease feels sick and may infect others. TB disease can be normally cured with antibiotics

© Public Health Agency of Canada, 2004
 
For more information visit the Public Health Agency of Canada Web Site