At least one person has died after a tuberculosis outbreak inside a California hotel serving as a homeless shelter. According to reports, Long Beach health officials declared a public health emergency in response. fox news digital.
A sudden outbreak at an unnamed hotel reportedly infected 14 people and forced nine people to be hospitalized. The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday. The identity of the deceased individual has not been released.
City authorities announced. [t]The outbreak is currently isolated to specific populations and the risk to the general public is low. ”
“People at risk from this outbreak have significant barriers to care, including homelessness and housing insecurity, mental illness, substance use, and serious comorbidities.”
According to the report, authorities said the health emergency was declared to strengthen the city’s ability to respond to the outbreak.
Despite the small number of people hospitalized, the report said about 170 people may have been exposed to tuberculosis. The health department is currently screening contacts for the disease through blood tests, skin tests, chest X-rays and a thorough examination of symptoms.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention It states that tuberculosis is a serious disease that primarily affects the lungs. This bacteria is easily spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or even just speaks.
Long Beach health officials said, “Tuberculosis spreads easily in places where people live together or in close quarters.”
“People with HIV/AIDS and other immunocompromised people are at greater risk of contracting tuberculosis than people with typical immunity.”
Tuberculosis is usually treatable with antibiotics, but if you are taking medications, you may need to take them for about 6 to 9 months. KTLA.
“People who are infected but have not yet become ill have what is called latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI),” the health official said. “People with LTBI can take medications to prevent them from developing active tuberculosis later in life.”
“The risk of tuberculosis for people living, working, studying or visiting Long Beach remains very low,” city officials said. “The Ministry of Health will continue to test people associated with this outbreak and expects the number of infected people and contacts to increase.”
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