More than 700 infants may have been exposed to tuberculosis at a hospital in El Paso over the past year by an employee recently diagnosed with the illness, health officials said today, according to ABC News.
Jessica Martinez, whose son Sebastian was born at Providence Memorial Hospital in October 2013, said she received a letter from the El Paso, Texas Department of Health last week asking the family to have their son tested at their clinic. But she said she had already made an appointment after she saw information about it on Facebook.
Babies born between September 2013 and August 25 of this year were asked to get screenings. This is when the unidentified female nurse was put on leave after testing positive for tuberculosis. Screenings are being offered for free at a clinic set up at the El Paso Department of Health.
Newborns under six months old have suppressed immune systems and are more susceptible to infection, making the outbreak more concerning.
TB infection is spread through individuals who are coughing and sneezing, health officials said. The disease can lay dormant for years before becoming active and causing symptoms.
The more than 40 employees who came in contact with the sick worker have all tested negative, but hospital officials are now tasked with screening and if necessary, treating the hundreds of infants who have been exposed, according to AOL News.
"The families of each patient are being contacted via telephone and certified letter with proactive screening instructions," according to a news release from the city's Health Department.
