<s>[INST] What is the treatment for TB? [/INST] TB disease is curable and can be treated by a combination of antibiotics. Commonly used drugs include rifampicin and isoniazid. In some cases, the TB bacterial strain involved does not respond to the standard drugs and the patient is considered to have “drug-resistant TB” (see below). The treatment of drug-resistant TB is longer and more complicated than it is for TB that is susceptible to the commonly used drugs.

A course of TB drugs is provided to the patient along with information, supervision and support from a health worker or trained volunteer. Without such support, patients can find that sticking to the treatment can be difficult. Where a treatment course is not properly completed, the bacterial strain responsible for the infection can become drug resistant and spread.

In the case of TB infection – where the patient is infected with the TB bacterium but is not ill – preventive treatment can be given to stop the disease from starting. This preventive treatment uses the same drugs used for disease treatment but for a shorter time. Recent advances in preventive treatments have shortened the length of time needed to only 1–3 months for some patients, compared to 6 months in the past. Source: WHO. Link: https://www.emro.who.int/tuberculosis/faqs/index.html. Field: Lung Disease. Disease: Tuberculosis </s>