Indiana Hospital is notifying hundreds of patients they may have been exposed to tuberculosis bacteria
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A southern Indiana hospital where a worker recently tested positive for tuberculosis has informed hundreds of patients they may have been exposed to the bacteria that causes the disease.
dr Clark County Health Officer Eric Yazel said Clark Memorial Health was “significantly exposed” and sent letters to about 500 patients notifying them they may have been exposed to tuberculosis while in the hospital.
The county health department and the Indiana Department of Health held clinics earlier this month to test people who received those letters News and Tribune reported.
Yazel said no positive TB tests were reported in any of the patients.
Clark Memorial Health told the News and Tribune in a statement on Tuesday that one of its employees recently tested positive for tuberculosis and the company is working closely with local and state health officials.
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The hospital said it was following appropriate infectious disease protocols, including conducting contact tracing to identify people who may have been exposed to tuberculosis at the hospital in Jeffersonville, a city on the Ohio River north of Louisville, Kentucky.
Tuberculosis, which can be fatal, is a disease caused by bacteria that typically attack the lungs. The bacteria are mostly spread through the air from person to person, for example when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
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