Earlier this month, the City of El Paso Department of Public Health announced 706 babies and 43 hospital employees were exposed to TB when an employee came to work with an active case of the disease.
Everyone affected is being notified through mail and/or telephone.
As of Sept. 22, more than 350 TB screening appointments were made by those exposed to the disease.
People can have either a latent TB infection — which does not spread TB to others — or an active TB infection, which can be spread to others through the air. According to the City of El Paso Department of Public Health, an infant is not considered contagious even if they test positive for active TB.
“Once in the body the bacteria usually lay dormant for months or years before they begin to grow and cause a case of active TB. That is why it is so important to identify people who may have been exposed, screen them, and provide treatment that can prevent them from ever developing active TB disease,” according to the city’s Department of Public Health.
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