TUBERCULOSIS: Georgia: Nine TB cases at jail since April

 December 9, 2010
By Dana Clark Felty
Public health officials call in help from the state, CDC to ID, test past and present inmates and staff

Since an inmate was diagnosed with contagious pulmonary tuberculosis in April, nine new cases have been discovered among inmates at the Chatham County Detention Center.
Jail administration and officials with the Chatham County Health Department have called in staff from the State Division of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help determine which current and former inmates could have come in contact with the disease and should be tested.
"Over the past few months, there have been efforts to screen the entire jail population," said Dr. Diane Weems, medical officer for the Coastal Health District and the Chatham County Health Department. "You can imagine how challenging that is with a very transient population. A lot of individuals are in and out of here."
"What we're trying to do is narrow our investigation to those inmates we know have had exposure to one of those cases, beginning with those in the jail. And, then, we'll be following up to find those who have been released and had exposure."
There are about 1,900 inmates currently in the Chatham County jail.
TB is caused by bacteria that usually attack the lungs, but can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine and brain. If not treated properly, TB can be fatal.
The most common way the disease is spread through close contact over time with someone who is infected and exhibiting symptoms, such as coughing or sneezing. It is not spread through touching, kissing or sharing food or drink.
Jail and public health officials are also working to test all employees, volunteers and contract workers at the jail - totaling about 600 people.
About half have been tested. None have been diagnosed with active TB.
Annually, about 10 to 15 Chatham County residents are diagnosed and treated for the disease.
The first case this year was discovered in April at the jail.
Another 100 residents are being treated at any given time for a less threatening, noncontagious form of the disease called latent TB that usually does not produce symptoms.
Even if no more cases are diagnosed over the next few months at the jail, it will remain a high risk environment for TB, Weems said.
"This offers an opportunity to look at processes and where we can tighten up processes," she said.
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