Travel Health
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Source: National Coordination Centre for Travellers' Health (LCR). Last updated April 4, 2024 · Open the LCR page
What is Tuberculosis?
According to LCR (Dutch travel advice)
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
You can get tuberculosis in many countries, especially in Asia, Africa, South America and Eastern Europe.
Tuberculosis is often pulmonary TB, but there are also forms in the kidneys, joints and glands. Only people with pulmonary TB are contagious when they cough and bacteria enter the air. You can become infected by inhaling those bacteria.
Not everyone who inhales the bacterium becomes ill. It can stay in the body for a long time without symptoms. Someone with normal immunity has about a 10% chance of developing tuberculosis after infection. Symptoms, if they appear, include fatigue, coughing, weight loss and loss of appetite. That can happen after six weeks, or only after years.
There is a vaccine against tuberculosis. Whether you need it depends on where you go, how long and what you do. Tuberculosis department professionals can decide this. Ask a travel clinic whether a referral is needed. Turning your head away from someone who is coughing lowers the chance of infection.
According to WHO
- In 2024, 1.23 million people died from tuberculosis. Globally it is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent.
- About a quarter of the world’s population has been infected; 5–10% of them later develop TB disease. TB is preventable and curable.
- In some countries BCG vaccine is given to babies and protects children mainly against severe forms of TB.
Depends on your trip
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Angola
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brunei
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Congo (Brazzaville)
- Congo, the Democratic Republic of the (Kinshasa)
- Djibouti
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Greenland (Denemarken)
- Guinea (Conakry)
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Ivoorkust
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kirgistan (Kirgizië)
- Kiribati
- Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of (Democratische Volksrepubliek Korea)
- Laos (Democratische Volksrepubliek Laos)
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libië
- Macao
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Micronesia, Federated States of
- Moldova, Republic of
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar (voormalig Birma)
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Northern Mariana Islands (United States)
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Peru
- Philippines
- Romania
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Solomon Islands (Brits overzees gebied)
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Swaziland
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania, United Republic of
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Western Sahara
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Zuid-Sudan
Frequently asked questions
- What is Tuberculosis?
- Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- Which countries is Tuberculosis relevant for?
- LCR mentions Tuberculosis for 92 destinations, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh. Open a country for the full advice.
- Is vaccination against Tuberculosis required?
- LCR lists Tuberculosis mainly as advice, not as a required entry vaccination. Whether you need it depends on your trip.
- When should I get travel vaccinations?
- Book a travel clinic appointment 4 to 6 weeks before departure. Some vaccines need more than one dose.
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