THURSDAY, OCT. 18: Following yesterday’s statement by the Department of Health that it has identified two cases of active Tuberculosis (TB) on the island – one of which is a P3 student at Heron Bay Primary School – the Department would today like to reiterate that it is currently performing testing to trace whether there has been transmission of TB to others in the school.
The Department has also pointed out that both of the individuals who have been identified with active TB have been isolated, are being treated, and no longer pose a threat for further transmission.
Potential exposure to TB may have occurred if a person was in prolonged close contact with the TB-infected student. In this case this means that if a person spent an hour or more in the same closed room (such as a confined classroom) with the TB sufferer then the Department will be testing that person.
This infection can spread from person to person through the air. When an infected person coughs, sneezes or otherwise expels infected saliva droplets into the air, others can inhale these infected droplets and become likewise infected. Close contact with an infected individual or inhaling aerosolized droplets in the air is required for infection to occur.
TB is NOT easily transmitted via casual contact.
Heron Bay School is a ‘single stream school’ and the dynamics of the school mean that classes and teachers do not mix regularly.Therefore the Department of Health is focusing their group testing efforts by starting with P3, where there is the highest risk of exposure to others.
Group testing will be performed at the school on Friday for the class and its teacher. This is a two stage test and the students and the teacher will be required to return to the school on Monday at 10am to have the test read. The screening test which is offered by the Department of Health is a simple skin test.
If there are any positive test results, the cases will be immediately referred to the Department of Health Clinic and the strategy for the second round of group testing will be rolled out, informed by the round one results.
The Department of Health is meeting with parents of children who attend Heron Bay Primary School this evening to provide information on TB and TB testing. The meeting for P3 parents only is at 5:30pm and the general PTA meeting is scheduled for 6pm.
Concerned members of the public can also phone the Department of Health Communicable Disease Clinic on 278-6442 for further information.Area D of the Hamilton Health Centre (the Communicable Disease Clinic) will offer TB testing for those clients who may think they have been exposed between 8:30am and 10am on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with clients returning on day three (i.e. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday respectively) to have the test read.
The test is only valid if the person attends the clinic on two occasions as explained above. Because of the two step nature of the test it is only offered on the first three days of the week. There will be no charge to the individual for testing or treatment of TB.
The Department of Health would like to be clear that the Emergency Department of KEHM is not the correct place to go if you think you require testing due to potential exposure. No individual will be denied testing if requested.
Not all individuals who become infected with TB become ill. Tuberculosis infection is often without symptoms, and is called “latent TB”. When an individual becomes ill, we call it “Active TB”. In the classic case of active respiratory TB the individual experiences fever, night sweats, weight loss, poor appetite, fatigue and shortness of breath.Affected individuals are treated with an anti-tuberculosis medication, or a combination of medications, for several months. Close medical monitoring is required to assure adequate treatment. Adequately treated individuals are no longer infectious to others after a few weeks of treatment, and may return to work or school. Typically, with treatment, individuals recover fully from the disease.
Bermuda is considered a low incidence area for TB and one to three cases are reported each year to the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit. This situation is somewhat unusual due to the scope of the contact tracing which must be performed and the fact that a school is involved.
Tuberculosis is very common in many regions of the world, particularly in developing nations where poverty, over-crowding, poor nutrition and inadequate access to health care exist. TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis which typically infects the lungs but can affect other areas of the body.
