The Department of Health is monitoring employees of an unnamed St. Croix resort for potential infection after one employee was diagnosed with tuberculosis or TB.
Acting Health Commissioner Julia Sheen said Friday the department learned of the single TB case from South Carolina health officials, where the individual had recently traveled. The Health Department is working with South Carolina officials and the resort to track all of the individual’s contacts in order to determine who may have been exposed, but the person had no contact with resort guests, Sheen said in a Health Department statement Friday.
“The individual’s health information is legally considered private, except as it affects the health of others,” she said.
TB is a potentially serious infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs and is spread from person to person by breathing the germ after coughing.
Dr. Richard Olans, an infectious disease specialist with the Department’s STD/HIV/TB Program met with employees of the resort Friday afternoon to discuss the possibility of exposure.
Department of Health personnel will test, evaluate, and advise employees on whether they need further tests, such as chest x-rays, or medication and each employee will be given a TB fact sheet on what they can do, including having a TB skin test, according to Dr. Olans.
“The Department will follow this potential TB exposure and will provide pertinent information and recommendations as it becomes available,” he said.
According to Dr. Olans, there are two forms of tuberculosis, latent and active. Active TB is contagious but the latent form is not. Symptoms are similar to many diseases and include: fever, night sweats, unexplained weight loss and a cough, especially coughing up blood.
TB can be diagnosed by a primary care doctor, a pulmonologist or doctor who specializes in lung diseases or by an infectious disease specialist.Sheen is urging employees with further questions following the evaluation sessions at the resort to contact the STD/HIV/ TB Clinic at 773-1311 ext 3061.