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Diabetics, cancer patients, and those with HIV/AIDS or other immune system problems
Health-care workers
Active TB is treated with INH as well as drugs such as rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide. It is
also not uncommon for TB patients to receive streptomycin if the disease is extensive. Drug
therapies for TB may last many months or even years.
If a patient has a drug-resistant strain of TB, several drugs in addition to the main four are usually
required. In addition, treatment is generally much longer and can require surgery to remove
damaged lung tissue.
The largest barrier to successful treatment is that patients tend to stop taking their medicines
because they begin to feel better. It is important to finish medications in order to completely
eradicate the TB bacteria from the body.
In December 2012, Sirturo (bedaquiline) was approved as part of a combination therapy for adults
with multi-drug resistant TB. According to the FDA, bedaquiline was the first TB drug to be approved
in the USA in forty years.
transmitting the disease to others if you are infected, stay home, cover your mouth, and
ensure proper ventilation.