Information on tuberculosis care in Germany
Important information on tuberculosis care for all arriving in Germany from Ukraine and other countries
DZK is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the mission of attending the needs of tuberculosis patients in Germany and issuing national treatment and prevention guidelines
Here, we would like to provide you with important information, in case you...
...are currently under anti-tuberculous treatment:
If you are unsure whether you might be contagious, please wear a mask at all times when close to other people.
Under the current circumstances, your treatment might have been discontinued for understandable reasons. Please try as soon as possible to access the drugs you were initially prescribed at home. A continuous, preferably uninterrupted treatment against tuberculosis is very important.
You should contact the regional public health department (Gesundheitsamt) closest to you. (Link ). The health department staff can connect you with specialized doctors who will help you get treated. If you prefer immediately seeing a specialized doctor, you can refer to one here. However, it will be necessary to present to the local public health department in any case.
→ Your relatives and friends should also pay a visit to the public health department if they had close contact with you.
If you are suffering from tuberculosis, you do not have to fear discrimination or negative consequences in Germany. Most importantly, you need to continue your treatment as soon as possible.
...have had contact with somebody suffering from tuberculosis:
Please contact the regional public health department depending on your current location. There, you can receive medical consultation and examination for when you had close contact with a person affected by contagious tuberculosis.
The health department staff can assess your risk of infection with tuberculosis as well as your risk of developing tuberculosis disease in the future. In case of an infection, the progress to tuberculosis disease can be avoided with preventive treatment.
If you know other people who had contact with the same or another person with tuberculosis, please inform them about the medical consultation services as well.
...think you might have tuberculosis:
Typical clinical signs of tuberculosis are cough, fever and fatigue. This makes it difficult to distinguish from other diseases. If these symptoms persist for more than 3 weeks, tuberculosis can be the underlying cause. Also, night sweats and and unintended weight loss can occur.
If you are experiencing any of these or other symptoms, please see a doctor. Especially a family doctor, paediatrician or lung specialist can be helpful in this case. Here you find a registry of doctor's practice/office.
Please wear a mask at all times when in contact with other people.
If you know other people who experience similar symptoms, please inform them about the opportunity of getting medically examined (or bring them along to your own consultation).
Tuberculosis is a curable disease in most cases. An early diagnosis can positively affect the prognosis on complete healing. If tuberculosis remains untreated, it can be transmitted to other people. Children are a particularly vulnerable group for transmission, even if they are BCG-vaccinated.
