More than 800 patients and 30 Lynn Community Health Center employees in Massachusetts are being tested to determine if they have acquired tuberculosis after one health care worker tested positive for the disease.
After learning of the single positive tuberculosis test around Labor Day, medical workers reached out to employees and patients, claiming there was "sufficient exposure to warrant testing," Boston.com reported.
However, City Health Director MaryAnn O'Connor told The Daily Item that this diagnosis is "not a reason to panic," and people should not avoid the clinic because of this confirmed case.
Tuberculosis is described as bacteria that usually attacks the lungs, but can infect other parts of the body, such as the kidney, spine and brain. The disease is spread through the air from one person to another, and if it is not treated properly, it can be fatal, according to the Center for Disease Control.
But, how did tuberculosis enter Massachusetts?
It's no coincidence that the city is currently stressing over services provided to the area after a recent influx of illegal alien children and families has nearly doubled student admissions in schools.
Illegal aliens residing in the U.S. look to schools as the first issue to address on their agendas. Many families are not literate in any language and enroll in schools to gain knowledge and receive those skills, MyFoxBoston.com reported.
Not only has the population increased, but the budget of the Lynn public school district cannot afford to support the drastic growth. This school year alone saw more than 600 new admissions, with nearly a third from Guatemala, and roughly 126 were illegal, undocumented minors, according to Lynn Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy.
Lynn schools, under law, cannot deny enrollment to anybody - even if the new students do not have paperwork.
However, they must be vaccinated, and more often than not, the city of Lynn is paying for the injections due to a lack of health insurance.
O'Connor estimated that there has been a 200 percent increase in vaccinations over the past several years. She also started a tuberculosis clinic because of the huge spike in cases in the last two years.
