Camden Co. Resident Hospitalized With Tuberculosis; Investigation Underway

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — A Camden County resident has been diagnosed with Tuberculosis, officials said Friday.

The resident went to a local hospital Feb. 12 with symptoms consistent with Tuberculosis (TB). Laboratory tests confirmed an active TB diagnosis, and the Camden County Health Department was notified on Tuesday.

The patient was immediately placed on isolation precaution at the hospital and started receiving treatment on Thursday.

No other identifying information about the resident has been released.

After a decades-long decline, TB cases have become steadily more common in New Jersey and the U.S. since 2020, data shows.

While it's still highly unlikely to catch TB in New Jersey, the disease can be fatal.

None of the Camden County resident's household members or close contacts have shown symptoms associated with TB. But their household members are still in the process of getting tested, said County Commissioner Jennifer Cooley Fleisher, liaison to the Camden County Health Department.

"This is a continuing investigation, and we are actively working with the New Jersey Department of Health to identify individuals who may have been exposed," she said in a statement.

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by germs spread from person-to-person through the air. Many people infected with TB never develop the disease, but some people are more likely to develop TB disease. People with weakened immune systems are at a very high risk of developing active TB disease once infected with TB bacteria.

"Symptoms of active TB disease depend on where in the body the TB bacteria is growing," the county said in a news release. "TB bacteria usually grow in the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, kidneys or spine. People with inactive TB do not have symptoms of TB disease. However, without treatment, they can develop active TB disease and become sick."

According to the CDC, active TB disease in the lungs may cause symptoms such as:

• a bad cough that lasts three weeks or longer
• chest pain
• coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm) from deep inside the lungs

Other symptoms of active TB disease include:

• weakness or fatigue
• weight loss
• no appetite
• chills
• fever
• sweating at night

Symptoms of active TB disease in other parts of the body depend on the affected area:

• TB disease of the lymph nodes may cause a firm red or purple swelling under the skin.
• TB disease of the kidney may cause blood in the urine.
• TB meningitis — TB disease of the brain — may cause headache or confusion.
• TB disease of the spine may cause back pain.
• TB disease of the larynx may cause hoarseness.

Visit the CDC's Tuberculosis webpage for more info.