Kindgo
Advanced Member
Member # 2
|
posted
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weekend News Today
Lead: Faith
Source: MSNBC/AP & Reuters
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sat Sep 14,2002 -- A shrimp fisherman whose tuberculosis went untreated for months infected at least 22 other people, officials said. The 31-year-old man had laryngeal tuberculosis, one of the most infectious forms because it can be transmitted during normal speech, not just sneezing or coughing, said Joseph Jablecki, program manager for TB control in Mobile County. The man had the disease for nearly 8 months and his weight had fallen from 145 to 95 pounds when he was flown to a New Orleans hospital at the end of July. Of 86 people tested, 22 have tested positive so far and were being given medication. While they had the infection, they had not developed the full-blown disease. Test results of some other people were pending. “We believe we’ve pretty much made contact with everybody he’s exposed,” Jablecki said. “Those who haven’t cooperated with the follow-up testing need to realize that this can be a highly contagious, deadly disease.”
After intensive treatment at the hospital, the man was released in mid-August and sent back to Alabama, while told to report to the Mobile County Health Dept. While he was not contagious at that point, he was told to wear a mask as a precaution and continue his medication. But, when he did not show up at the health dept., officials began combing the area. Because he had failed to take his medication, the fisherman became infectious yet again. So now, authorities are closely monitoring him to make sure he’s getting the medicine.
--------------------
God bless,
Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
Posts: 4320 | From: Sunny Florida | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged | 
|
Printer-friendly view of this topic
