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| Prison officers, inmates might have been exposed to tuberculosis |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 11/29/2004 |
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Lackawanna County (Pa.) Prison officers and inmates may have been exposed to tuberculosis through an inmate who since has been released from the facility, prison officials said. The prison's previous health care provider had reason to suspect that an inmate was infected with tuberculosis while he was behind bars in October, prison officials said. The inmate's preliminary test results were positive for TB but a definitive diagnosis is not expected for about one month, county Commissioner A.J. Munchak said. More than 160 corrections officers and inmates must be tested for the chronic respiratory disease, prison officials said. Testing is to begin Monday. The inmate has since been released from prison and is being treated by the state Department of Health, Munchak said. His identity was not released. Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium and is spread through the air when a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs or sneezes. People nearby may become infected by breathing the bacteria. At one time a virtual death sentence, TB is now treated with a drug that kills the bacteria in 95 percent of cases. The inmate was in isolation when PrimeCare Medical Inc. ceased operations at the jail Nov. 14, officials said. Paul Jennings, the prison warden, alleged that PrimeCare left without telling prison administrators about the case. The jail's new provider, Correctional Care Inc., took over Nov. 15 and discovered the situation the next day. Dr. Carl Hoffman, president of Harrisburg-based PrimeCare, did not return a call seeking comment Friday. |
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