Chicago health officials have announced that a “small number” of tuberculosis (TB) cases have been reported at some migrant facilities following a recent outbreak of measles among migrants living in the Windy City’s shelters.
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) said the TB cases were reported in “a few different shelters” in the city. However, officials did not disclose the exact number of confirmed cases or which shelter locations they originated from, Fox 32 Chicago reports.
The agency says its medical teams are ramping up contact tracing to address the health issue. Tuberculosis is an infectious bacterial disease that mainly affects the lungs.
The confirmed tuberculosis cases come as more than 55 measles cases have now been confirmed in Chicago, with the majority of those cases being reported in the Pilsen migrant shelter on Halsted Street.
“CDPH is aware of a small number of cases of TB among new arrivals in a few different shelters over the course of the response,” the health agency said in a statement to Fox 32.
The health body said 10% to 20% of Central and South American residents have a latent TB infection, which is asymptomatic and not transmissible to others. It does, however, result in a positive TB test, CDPH says.
