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Tuberculosis can be easily identified and treated

While local health officials investigate a local case of tuberculosis (TB), Backus Hospital wants you to know that the disease is easily identifiable, does not spread easily and responds well to treatment.

Peter Shea, MD, Medical Director at Backus, said the one confirmed TB patient at Backus is being treated in a special isolation room, and healthcare providers are taking all of the precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure that the disease does not spread.

Backus has seen up to three confirmed cases of TB per year, and treats several more than that for precautionary reasons. All inpatient and surgical patients are screened for risk of TB, and all Hospital employees are screened for TB.

“Our staff is well trained in how to handle TB cases,” said Dr. Shea. “We have Infection Control practices in place to ensure the safety of everyone in the Hospital, as well as the community.

“We want our community to be aware, not alarmed.”

About tuberculosis (TB)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), TB is only spread through the air from one person to another, when a person with active TB coughs or sneezes. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.

People with active TB disease are most likely to spread it to people they spend time with every day, including family members, friends, and coworkers.

You cannot catch TB from touching objects such as shopping carts or hand railings.

Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. Some people have what is called latent TB: they don’t feel sick, don’t have symptoms and can’t spread it to others.

People with active TB can be treated and cured if they seek medical help, people with latent TB infection can take medicine so that they will not develop active TB.

Backus Hospital wants you to be informed.
Click here to read Frequently Asked Questions about TB from the CDC.