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| Positive TB Tests Lead Colo. Prison to Cease Transferring Inmates |
| By Denver Post |
| Published: 06/10/2003 |
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Transfers of inmates to and from the Delta Correctional Center have been halted while medical authorities try to determine the source of tuberculosis infections in 23 inmates and two staff members at the minimum-security facility. No active cases of tuberculosis have been found among those infected, according to state and county health officials. A positive skin test for tuberculosis merely means that the person has been exposed to the disease at some point in life. They are not contagious. The staff and inmates who showed positive results on skin tests are receiving oral antibiotics as a preventive measure. All of those who tested positive have also undergone chest X-rays; two of those showed lung irregularities, officials said. Those inmates were transferred to Denver isolation facilities for further tests, which still did not show signs of active tuberculosis. 'It's unclear exactly what's going on,' said Dr. Ned Calonge, chief medical officer with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. 'I do feel pretty good that we're on top of it.' Calonge said he will consult with experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a conference call scheduled for June 6 about the high number of positive tests. The Delta infections showed up during routine tuberculosis tests, done any time new inmates enter a facility or are transferred between prisons. Positive tests hadn't turned up for several years among the prison's inmates, who are transferred to Delta from a number of facilities. The first positive test turned up in January, and three cases surfaced in April. That's when correctional center officials decided to test all 480 inmates again along with staff members. After 19 more positive test results were found, authorities took action to find a source for the infection. Calonge said it has been a number of years since there has been a full-blown case of active tuberculosis in a Colorado prison. |
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