TB Testing for Families of over 700 Babies Begins at Texas Hospital - East Idaho News

TB Testing for Families of over 700 Babies Begins at Texas Hospital

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gettY 092214 babyfeet?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1411403508314iStock/Thinkstock(EL PASO, Texas) — Testing for Tuberculosis (TB) begins Monday for the families of more than 700 infants born at Providence Memorial Hospital in El Paso, Texas.

The babies’ parents were informed their children may have been exposed to the highly infectious bacterial disease after an employee in the hospital’s nursery tested positive last month during a routine annual screening.

The El Paso Department of Public Health will conduct the free testing, according to the El Paso Times. Sierra Providence Memorial Hospital will test more than 40 employees believed to have been exposed.

TB can be a serious risk for infants too young to be vaccinated. It generally requires close contact over an extended period of time for spreading, and can remain dormant for months or years before symptoms appear.

“This is an unfortunate incident that we’re going to get through and we’re going to help these babies and their moms and dads,” El Paso Public Health Director Robert Resendes said.

Chief Medical Officer at Sierra Providence, Dr. Enrique Martinez said it’s difficult to say that every hospital employee will be free of any communicable disease, but “we do the best that is out there in terms of recommendations.”

The infected employee no longer works at the hospital and is receiving treatment, say officials.


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