Each person with active TB can spread the disease to 10 other Filipinos each year! This is alarming since there are between 200,000 and 600,000 Filipinos with active TB. Multiply this by 10, and just imagine how much TB is being spread yearly. Hence, if someone in the household has been diagnosed with TB, all the other members of the household should get tested (like a chest x-ray) for TB, too. The usual treatment course for TB is between six and nine months of continuous medicines. The good news, however, is that once active TB is treated with the appropriate drugs, the person is no longer contagious after three weeks. That is why those who are being treated for TB are advised to rest during the first month.