Health Emergency in Douglas County: Tuberculosis Outbreak Sparks Urgent Response

2023-11-14 16:01:52

Lincoln: A health emergency in Douglas County, Nebraska, USA. The Douglas County Health Department has declared a health emergency following a person with tuberculosis came into contact with several people, including children at a day care.

More than 500 people have been asked for tuberculosis test. The sick person was part of the YMCA’s drop-in child care program. The patient’s contact list consisted primarily of children as they had childcare responsibilities.

The Douglas County Health Department said anyone who has been in close contact with an infected person should get tested for tuberculosis between May 30 and October 30.

Children’s Nebraska Pediatric Hospital has established a clinic to screen children ages four and under. Children of this age need special preventive treatment to prevent the disease from affecting their bodies.

Douglas County Deputy Health Director Justin Frederick described it as an emergency at a news conference.

Officials, meanwhile, declined to release details regarding the person who contracted tuberculosis at the daycare, adding that symptoms began late last August. But until last week, the man had not been tested for tuberculosis. This has complicated the situation.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Douglas County Health Director Lindsey Hughes said test results for young children should start coming in soon and a full picture of the spread of the disease will be available by next week. Health officials estimate that there are 250 children in the under-four group and 300 in the under-five group on the contact list. In addition, the number of people with whom infected children are likely to come into contact may increase.

Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The main organ affected by tuberculosis is the lungs.

The disease is transmitted to others through the air. When a person with pulmonary tuberculosis coughs, sneezes, or talks, the germs are spread through the air into the lungs of a bystander. The main symptoms of TB are chronic cough, chills, night sweats and unexplained weight loss.

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