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Recent screening identifies 151 TB cases in Alabama county
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Public health screening efforts during a recent tuberculosis outbreak in Perry County, Alabama, have uncovered 144 adults and seven children with the infection, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Although the majority of these newly recognized cases were latent infection, 29 cases of active disease have been identified since the beginning of 2014, and three TB-related deaths also have been reported in the county since 2011, Pam Barrett, director of the division of TB control at the Alabama Department of Public Health, told Infectious Diseases in Children. As of Feb. 4, the department had screened 2,023 people in the county seat of Marion, Alabama, 394 of whom were children, according to a press release.
“What we’re trying to do is to find people with latent TB infection so that we can get them treated preventively before they develop disease,” Barrett said. “However, I would like to remind people that this outbreak is really not a Perry County thing, it’s primarily a Marion thing, so the people in the surrounding areas do not need to worry about TB being in their community.”
On Jan. 11, the Perry County Health Department began offering monetary incentives for any residents who attended screenings, returned for their results and, if recommended, received chest X-rays or completed TB treatment. Although these programs — which Barrett said were so popular that attendees were turned away — have since ended, the county is continuing to offer free screening by appointment for all residents.
“During this initiative we have had good support from the citizens as well as community leaders who have been involved in meetings to educate and inform about TB,” Karen Landers, MD, FAAP, assistant state health officer, said in a press release. “If Perry County residents were not screened in January, we hope they will come in for these clinics.”
In light of the seven pediatric cases, free TB screening also will be offered to students at a local high school on Feb. 10. Although he recognized that children are often at lower risk for spreading the disease than adults, John H. Heard III, superintendent of the Perry County School System, said the screening is important to reassure the community.
“We believe the science of how TB is transmitted and treated is sound,” Heard said in a press release. “However, we want to ensure that our students, staff, parents and community know that every effort is being taken to prevent the spread of this disease and maintain a safe school environment.”
According to WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2015, TB incidence has declined since 1990 yet currently is responsible for more annual deaths than any other infectious disease. In December 2015, the White House released its National Action Plan for Combating Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis, which aims to increase the government’s capacity to treat TB and MDR-TB domestically and internationally.