Disaster struck in a hospital this week, after three hundred and fifty infants were exposed to tuberculosis via a hospital employee.
And it’s not just infants that were exposed. This employee exposed an additional 368 parents and 308 employees to the disease.
The employee worked at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. It was brought to the hospital staff’s attention in mid-November. The infected employee worked in the newborn nursery, and was suspected of having active tuberculosis. This employee has been put on leave.
“While the risk of infection is low, the consequences of a tuberculosis infection in infants can be severe. That’s why we decided to do widespread testing and start preventative treatments for these infants as soon as possible.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 9,421 cases of tuberculosis in 2014.
Tuberculosis, while uncommon, is spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or spits. The germs have to be ingested by an uninfected person in order to spread. It’s possible for someone to pick up the disease but show no symptoms.
The illness can be treated with antibiotics, but it has to be treated for a long time, and if it’s not treated properly, it can be fatal.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center has reached out to all of the parents and mothers who were in their care between August and November this year, and is giving all of them and their infants TB testing and preventative treatments.
The nurse screened negative for TB in September, but it was found later when she was being evaluated for a separate illness.
All other employees have been screened and are cleared to work.
