Health
Indiana hospital notifies around 500 patients they may have been exposed to tuberculosis
A hospital in Indiana where a staff member recently tested positive for tuberculosis has notified around 500 patients that they may have been exposed to the illness.
Clark Memorial Health in Jeffersonville told Fox News Digital on Thursday that it sent out hundreds of letters to those possibly affected following the confirmed case.
Clark County Health Officer Eric Yazel told the News and Tribune that it was a “significant exposure” and special clinics were held in early August to test those who were notified.
“And then we’ve been contacting some individuals at the individual level and monitoring,” he said to the newspaper. “It doesn’t look like that exposure is turning into a plot of positive tests… but that’s definitely something that we’ve been responding to from the health department side of things.”
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Clark Memorial Health in Jeffersonville, Indiana, reported that a staff member recently tested positive for tuberculosis. (Google Maps)
Yazel reportedly added that there have been no further positive tests.
“We are working closely with the Indiana Department of Health and the Clark County Health Department and are following the appropriate infectious disease protocols, which includes conducting contact tracing to identify and test individuals who may have been potentially exposed,” Clark Memorial Health said. “Due to privacy laws, we are unable to provide additional information at this time.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Clark County Health Department for further comment.
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A doctor looks at X-rays from a tuberculosis patient. Around 500 people possibly were exposed in Indiana, officials say. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes tuberculosis as a “disease caused by germs that are spread from person to person through the air.”
“TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine,” it says. “A person with TB can die if they do not get treatment.”
The CDC says symptoms of tuberculosis include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, night sweats, coughing, chest pain and coughing up blood.
Clark Memorial Health also said it wants to “reassure our community that it is safe to come to the hospital should you or your family need care.”
Tuberculosis is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, according to the CDC. (iStock)
“Our providers and clinical teams are well-trained and prepared to manage all kinds of infectious diseases, including TB, and our stringent infection control protocols remain in place,” it added.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has detected multiple cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, which has been linked to a spike in cases in China. A CDC spokesperson confirmed the findings to Fox News Digital, but said there had been too few cases for the strain to be included in the agency’s COVID Data Tracker.
Puseletso Lesofi prepares to sequence COVID-19 omicron samples at the Ndlovu Research Center in Elandsdoorn, South Africa Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
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“There have been fewer than 20 sequences of NB.1.8.1 in the U.S. baseline surveillance data to date, so it has not met the threshold for inclusion in the COVID Data Tracker dashboard,” a CDC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We monitor all SARS-CoV-2 sequences, and if it increases in proportion, it will appear on the Data Tracker dashboard.”
The cases were reportedly detected through the CDC’s airport screening program, according to CBS News, though the CDC spokesperson did not confirm this to Fox News Digital.
Syringe for testing COVID. (iStock)
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While the CDC has detected the new variant in the U.S., the agency also reported on May 23 that emergency room visits for influenza, COVID and RSV are currently “very low.” In its two-week predictions for COVID and influenza, the CDC said it expects the number of ER visits will likely stay at the current low level.
A CDC map showing COVID-19 cases detected through wastewater (sewage) testing indicates that most states are seeing either low or very low levels of the virus. The only state experiencing a high level of viral activity, according to CDC data, is South Dakota.
A man has his swab sample taken for a nucleic acid test for the coronavirus disease at a testing booth in Beijing, China on Nov. 11, 2022. (Reuters/Tingshu Wang)
The COVID-19 NB.1.8.1 variant has been linked to a high number of cases in China and Hong Kong.
Earlier this month, Hong Kong authorities issued a statement urging the public — especially high-risk individuals — to wear surgical masks. However, the statement also noted that there is no evidence NB.1.8.1 is more serious than other COVID-19 variants.
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