The Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in California reported last week that one of their employees tested positive for tuberculosis (TB). The nurse in question worked in the infant unit.
Co-workers reported that the nurse had shown no symptoms of TB and the infection was only brought to light during an unrelated examination with her doctor. As a precaution, doctors recommended that all 350 newborns who may have been exposed to the bacteria be given a chest X-ray and a six-month antibiotic (isoniazid) treatment to prevent infection.
TB is an airborne disease that is contagious when the infected person has an active case and coughs, sneezes, or spits. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the lungs, brain, spine, and kidney may be affected and the disease may be fatal if not treated. TB poses a different threat in babies as the bacteria may not remain in the lungs as in older children or adults, but may go into their bloodstream and infect other organs. The Santa Clara Valley Medical Center has begun testing hundreds of families for TB; tests will continue throughout the week.
A pediatric physician at the Santa Clara Mother and Infant Care unit tested a patient who had visited a family member in that facility last month. The doctor expected the results to be negative; however, the patient has a young baby and serious complications such as meningitis and sepsis may develop in a baby if exposed to TB during the first year of life.
Hospital officials stated that as many as 1,026 people, including the 350 newborns, 308 employees, and 368 parents might have been exposed to TB between mid-August and mid-November.
from Parker Waichman http://www.yourlawyer.com/blog/santa-clara-valley-medical-center-nurse-tests-positive-for-tuberculosis/
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