Treatment for tuberculosis (TB) usually involves taking antibiotics for several months.
While TB is a serious condition that can be fatal if left untreated, deaths are rare if treatment is completed.
Most people do not need to be admitted to hospital during treatment.
It may be several weeks before you start to feel better. The exact length of time will depend on your overall health and the severity of your TB.
After taking antibiotics for 2 weeks, most people are no longer infectious and feel better.
However, it's important to continue taking your medicine exactly as prescribed and to complete the whole course of antibiotics.
Taking medication for 6 months is the best way to ensure the TB bacteria are killed.
If you stop taking your antibiotics before you complete the course or you skip a dose, the TB infection may become resistant to the antibiotics.
This is potentially serious because it can be difficult to treat and will require a longer course of treatment with different, and possibly more toxic, therapies.
If you find it difficult to take your medicine every day, your treatment team can work with you to find a solution.
This may include having regular contact with your treatment team at home, at the treatment clinic, or somewhere else that's more convenient.
If treatment is completed correctly, you should not need any further checks by a TB specialist afterwards. You may be given advice about spotting signs that the illness has returned, although this is rare.
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