 I don't mind hard work. It's been tough to find a steady job. Lately, things have been looking up. I kept food on the table, bought a few nice things for the house, saved some money. Then I found out I was infected with TB. Man, I thought I was going to go crazy. I don't usually trust the system. And if you don't have a lot of money, forget it. But if I get real sick, who's going to be there for my wife and my daughter? And I don't want to get like Jim. He had TB and it was rough. In a way, Trevor was lucky. I didn't even know I was infected. If I did, I could have avoided getting TB disease by taking medication. Jim and I became buddies on the job. We would hang out after work, play cards, watch a game, have dinner with my family. Months ago, Jim got this cough. And he got worse to the point where he couldn't stop coughing. Man, he got real sick. I was worried for him. And finally, he went to the hospital and found out he had TB disease. Having tuberculosis was the worst thing I ever went through. I couldn't believe how bad I felt. I was weak, always tired, and that cough. When Jim got sick, my family was contacted by the health department. They explained to us why we should get tested for TB, since Jim had spent time with me and my family. When my skin test turned out positive, I was given an appointment at the clinic. The doctor said that I needed a simple examination and a chest x-ray to see if I had TB disease. Mr. Daniels, please have a seat. My name is Dr. Matthews. Dr. Matthews. I'm sure you have some concerns. So before we get started, I just want to assure you that all TB treatment is kept private. We just want you and your family to stay healthy. What do my tests show? Well, Mr. Daniels, your chest x-ray is normal. But as you know, your skin test was positive. What does that mean? That means that you have the TB germs in your body. So you have the TB germs in your body. I'm strong. I don't feel sick at all. The good news is you're not sick. You don't have TB disease. You don't feel sick because you have TB infection, not disease. But the germs are in your body. TB is spread through the air. When you spend a lot of time around someone who's sick with TB disease, if the sick person coughs, another person in the room can breathe in the germs. Right now, your body has built up a wall of defense around the germ. But if your defense is weakened, the wall could break down, and you could get sick. Now, I'm telling you, being sick with TB was scary and rough. In all those pills every day for so many months, what about my wife and my daughter? Have I passed it on to them? No. You can only infect someone if you have TB disease. That's why it's important to start the preventive treatment. What treatment? There are medications that will attack the TB germs in your body. Usually, you take them every day for a few months to treat your infection. I eat well, and I take vitamins. Doesn't that help? A good diet will build up your strength, but it won't prevent TB disease. If you get sick, you could wind up in the hospital. Even worse, you could infect your family and friends. I don't like taking pills. I can understand that. But this is only one or two medications. If you get sick with TB disease, you'll need to take a lot more than that. I sure don't like pills, but man, I wish I knew I was infected earlier. I mean, then I could have done something to prevent TB. If only I knew. So I don't have to worry with this medicine? This preventive treatment is the most effective way we know to treat TB infection. Of course, any medication has possible side effects. But this treatment has been used effectively for many years. I strongly encourage you to take the preventive treatment. It's very safe. All right. I'll do it. Good. Very good. Many people share Trevor's concerns and fears. TB disease can be serious, but it can be prevented. One half of all patients who develop TB disease do so within two years of being infected. That's why it's important to begin treatment early and not to interrupt your treatment once it's been started. TB doesn't discriminate. One out of every three people in the world is infected with TB, and anyone can get it. Rich, poor, male, female, young, old. Even doctors or nurses like me. That's why it's important to get tested. And if you are infected, to take medication to prevent TB disease. Even if you were infected a long time ago, we may still recommend preventive treatment. Once I got the facts, the decision was clear. Taking my treatment was easy. And the clinic was really helpful. They answered all of my questions. They were open late one night a week and on Saturday. And they make appointments around my schedule. At first, I was scared. I'm very confused. But I learned a lot about TB from Trevor that it's easy to detect and prevent. My daughter and I got tested and turned up negative. Trevor can't pass the TB germ onto us. And now, since he's taken preventive treatment, he's not going to get sick. I'm the type of guy that forgets my socks when I'm rushing. But it's easy to remember to take my medication. I take my pills once a day, usually at night before I go to bed. And then I go to the clinic once a month to get checked out and to get my medication for the month. Have a seat. Thank you for rescheduling my appointment. The boss needed me to come in that day for a guy who was on vacation. It's not a problem. We want your treatment to be convenient. So how do you feel? Do you have any questions? I feel fine. I'm almost finished, right? Yes, Mr. Daniels. One more month, and you're done. Here's your last monthly supply of medication. This wasn't such a bad thing. Preventive treatment is the best way to make sure you don't get TB disease. That's why health departments always make treatment affordable, whether it's free or very low cost. And that's also why we try to accommodate your schedule. And we may even call to remind you of your appointment. Hey, you two, hurry up. It's almost time for bed. OK, mommy. You know it's time for daddy to take his medicine. OK, daddy. I'm very glad you didn't get sick. Me too, honey. Me too.