Worker Diagnosed With Active Tuberculosis At Microsoft Facility

REDMOND, WA — Nearly 150 workers will require precautionary testing after a person was recently diagnosed with active tuberculosis at a Redmond Microsoft facility, health officials said. A specific building associated with the potential exposure has not been named.

According to King County Public Health, 150 identified vendors were determined to have "close contact," with the patient for a long enough time to recommend screenings. Health officials said the vendor companies were working to notify employees who need an evaluation.

Public Health said its staff has remained on-site all week to evaluate and test employees as possible.

Those diagnosed with a dormant tuberculosis infection cannot spread the illness, but patients with an active infection are contagious, health officials said. Public Health estimates 100,000 people in King County have a dormant TB infection, and one in 10 people with the illness will develop an active case in their lifetime.

"The vendor with active TB disease is currently receiving treatment," health officials said in a statement. "Most cases of active TB are readily treatable with antibiotics that are commonly available; treatment typically takes six to nine months."

Health officials said some drug-resistant strains can take up to two years to treat. To be fully cured, patients must complete the full course, even after they are no longer infectious or symptomatic.

According to Public Health, TB usually affects the lungs, but may also affect lymph nodes, bones and joints. The disease spreads by coughing and sneezing. Health officials said 134 new TB cases were reported in King County last year.

Learn more about tuberculosis in King County on the Public Health website.