TB Exposure At Akron Hospital May Infect 50 Infants

AKRON, OH — Akron Children's Hospital may have had a tuberculosis exposure in its neonatal unit, Summit County Health Officials said today. Up to 50 infants may have been exposed to the disease. Infants who were in the neonatal intensive care unit were not exposed.

The Health Department said in a release that it began investigating the outbreak on Jan. 3 when it learned that a member of the community had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. The individual did not know they had the disease and visited the neonatal unit at Akron Children's Hospital.

During this time, up to 50 infants, who were in the facility at the time, may have been exposed to the disease. The Health Department, along with Akron Children's Hospital and Summa-Akron City Hospital, have notified all impacted families directly.

“The risk for infection is low, but because TB can be more serious in young children we would like to evaluate these infants and begin them on a protective antibiotic,” Dr. John Bower, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Akron Children’s Hospital, said in a press release. “We have set up a clinic and are providing this care at no cost to our patient families.”

There is almost no risk to the general public at this time, health officials say.

However, Dr. Margo Erme, medical director of the Summit County Health Department, did say that adult caregivers, older children or other individuals who may have visited the Akron Children's Hospital neonatal unit will be encouraged to have a TB test in six to eight weeks to see if they have been infected.

“This would be about 10 to 12 weeks after the last potential exposure which is the time for the body to develop its response to the TB bacteria. If testing is done earlier, the person would still need to return in 6-8 weeks to be retested. Testing can be done by their private physician or at Summit County Public Health by
calling the Clinic Appointment Line, 330-375-2772,” Erme said in a press release.

The Health Department notes that TB is a potentially serious illness that usually involves the lungs and occasionally other parts of the body. In rare cases, TB can be spread to others via air (when an infected person coughs, speaks, laughs, etc.). It is not spread through common contact with a surface.

The World Health Organization says that mild symptoms of TB, like fever, coughing, night sweats and weight loss may be present for months, which sometimes leads to people delaying seeking treatment. Tuberculosis is curable with proper treatment and medication, the Health Department says. Active cases of the disease are rare, and while the TB is contagious, it's uncommon for it to spread person-to-person.

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