Manhattan hospital worker may have exposed hundreds of babies to tuberculosis

St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital has informed patients of its maternity ward that a staff member has been diagnosed with tuberculosis

The staff member may have exposed hundreds of babies to the disease

Patients from as far back as two months ago have been informed of the possible contact with the disease

The hospital is working with the city's Health Department to ensure all patients receive testing and treatment

So far, no patients have tested positive for the disease

A Manhattan hospital has been notifying recent patients of its maternity ward that newborns and their mothers may have come into contact with tuberculosis after one of its staff members tested positive for the disease. 

The female maternity ward worker from St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital who has tuberculosis may have been contagious for months, exposing hundreds of newborns and their families to the disease.

The hospital notified the former patients on Wednesday and released a statement saying that all patients who may have come in contact with the infected worker have now been informed.

Tuberculosis fear: A staff member infected with tuberculosis may have infected newborn babies and their mothers in St Luke's Roosevelt's maternity ward

According to the New York Department of Health, no former patients have yet tested positive for the disease.

The hospital is working with the department to ensure all patients who may have been infected are tested and treated.

 

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'Immediately upon learning of our employee’s illness, Roosevelt Hospital contacted the New York City Department of Health to advise them of the unfortunate situation and develop a comprehensive plan to identify and contact those patients who were possibly exposed,' reads a statement from the hospital.

Damage control: The hospital contacted all parents of babies that may have been exposed yesterday

'Few individuals exposed to someone with TB become infected because infection generally occurs after continuous exposure over several hours. Still, we are taking the extraordinary precautions that we have to address this issue.'

Public health: The hospital has promised to reimburse patients for any costs not covered by their insurance

St Luke's Roosevelt has not said how long the worker, who has not been identified, had the disease before it was detected, but according to NBC, some patients notified about the infection were at the hospital more than two months ago.

Tuberculosis was a leading cause of death a century ago. The infectious airborne disease typically attacks the lungs.

In 2010, there were an estimated 8.8 million new cases and 1.5 million deaths, mostly in developing countries. 

It is treated with antibiotics, but antibiotic resistance in a growing problem. 

In many cases, tuberculosis is difficult to detect as its symptoms are latent. It can lay dormant for many years before becoming active in about five to 10 per cent of cases.

New York has had numerous tuberculosis epidemics over its history, the most recent one in 1994.

According to UPI, New York City's tuberculosis rate is more than double the national rate with eight per 100,000 people as opposed to 3.2 cases per 100,000 nationally.  

CBS reports that St Luke's Roosevelt has assured all patients that testing and follow-up procedures not covered by insurance will be reimbursed by the hospital

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2482437/Manhattan-hospital-worker-exposed-hundreds-babies-tuberculosis.html#ixzz2jPsr8rrP 
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