Derry hospital on Tuberculosis alert
A hospital was on tuberculosis alert today after a member of staff contracted a rare form of the disease.
The employee, at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, contracted a multi-drug-resistant form of the respiratory disease and is in a stable condition.
Work colleagues and friends have been screened for the disease while the hospital has begun drawing up a list of patients who may also require testing.
The Northern Health and Social Care Trust nevertheless insisted the chances of people catching this strain of TB was extremely low.
Dr Peter Flannigan, the Trust’s medical director, said they were concerned about possible exposures to the infection between September last year and last month.
“Our main concern is with regard to patients who during a period of time were treated in Surgical Ward One and the gynaecology ward,” he said.
“The healthcare worker also did some work in the accident and emergency department.
“But because of the very limited contact, time wise, they would have had with the public at that stage, this does not present any degree of significant risk to anybody who attended the accident and emergency department.”
Tuberculosis attacks the lung and is a bacterial infection which is spread through the air.
Among the symptoms are chest pain and the coughing up of blood.
