Nearly 700 Emory University Hospital patients are being urged to get screened for tuberculosis after possibly being exposed to the disease by an infected employee.
An additional 100 workers were also exposed by a respiratory technician who unknowingly carried the disease. The worker, who had a persistent cough for weeks, was diagnosed April 17, Emory spokesman Lance Skelly said. It is unclear how she contracted it.
The state Department of Community Health sent letters to 680 former patients who had interaction with the worker between Nov. 7 and April 17. Though the employee likely developed active TB in February, officials decided to notify people who may have had contact during the three months prior as a precaution, Skelly said.
Individuals who received letters can get tested for the disease at their local health departments at no charge, he said. The screening involves a skin test, with results typically available within 48 to 72 hours.
Few people exposed to the disease actually contract the infection, said Dr. Anil Mangla, director of infectious disease and immunization at the state health department. “There shouldn’t be any concern for the public or scare whatsoever,” Mangla said.
With health departments closed over the weekend and holiday, there is no problem with individuals waiting until Tuesday to be screened, Mangla added.
The incident at Emory is not uncommon. The state typically investigates a half dozen or so possible TB exposures each year at various places such as schools, he said.
Cases of TB have fallen dramatically across the country and in Georgia over the decades.
In 1982, Georgia had about 800 cases; last year the number was 411, Mangla said. Nationwide, TB-related deaths dropped from 644 in 2006 to 554 in 2007, according to the latest data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
TB is passed from person to person only through droplets in the air -- not through shaking hands, sharing food or other forms of contact, Skelly said. It can cause coughing, chest pains, weakness, fatigue and other symptoms. People with what's known as latent TB don't feel sick or have symptoms; only an estimated 5 percent actually develop active TB disease.
No Emory employees have tested positive, Skelly said, adding that all workers are screened for TB each year.
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