Tuberculosis or TB is a diseases caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is known to affect many parts of the body, but mostly, it affects the lungs. Despite being a curable and preventable disease, annually, tuberculosis claims around 2 million lives worldwide and has been considered a major cause of mortality. One of the biggest road blocks in eradicating TB is general lack of awareness about the condition. It’s understood that tuberculosis is spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes into the air. But some worry whether TB can be spread through other means such as sexual contact and kissing.

Pulmonologist Dr Mitali Agarwal from SRV Hospital, Goregaon is quick to dispel this myth. “TB does not spread sexually or even by touching or kissing,” she says. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) categorically states that tuberculosis cannot be spread through sharing utensils or containers, sharing cigarettes with others and saliva shared through kissing. It also highlights that TB cannot be transmitted through physical contact such as handshaking, sharing food, touching bed linens or toilet seats or sharing toothbrush.

However, Dr Agarwal states that TB patients are advised to use protection during sex, but for a different reason. “When the person is under TB medication, particularly Multi Drug Resistant TB, the medication can prove toxic for the foetus, in case conception happens. It’s not possible to suspend treatment of TB during pregnancy, but at the same time, TB patients can’t afford to get pregnant while undergoing treatment. That’s why, it is important for TB patients to use contraception,” says Dr Agarwal.

In short, tuberculosis cannot be spread through sexual contact. We live in a society where the disease is poorly understood. The fact that it has so many stigmas associated with it also doesn’t help. The paranoia that surrounds the diseases leads to TB patients being discriminated against, adding to the negative perception the world has against the disease and its sufferers. That's why it is important to address such queries and dispel such myths.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 24, 2018 10:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).