Busan City Completes Screening for All 288 Newborns and Infants... All Normal in Chest X-ray Examination
Presence of Tuberculosis Bacteria but Not 'Tuberculosis'... No Risk of Transmission, 'Latent Tuberculosis' Infection Under Treatment
A laboratory researching tuberculosis.
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Regarding the tuberculosis patient contact incident at the ‘M Sanhujoriwon’ in Busan that occurred last November, the final tuberculosis tests for all newborns showed normal results. However, many tested positive for latent tuberculosis, and treatment for latent tuberculosis infection is currently underway.
Latent tuberculosis refers to a state where tuberculosis bacteria are present in the body, but the immune system prevents the progression to active tuberculosis. Since the bacteria are not expelled through coughing or sneezing, there is no risk of transmission.
Busan City held a pediatric infectious disease expert consultation meeting after completing the examination of 288 newborns who had contact with the tuberculosis patient at M Sanhujoriwon on February 10.
The number of newborns and infants who had contact with the tuberculosis patient was 288, and all were judged normal based on tuberculosis tests (chest radiography).
However, 73 individuals tested positive in the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST), which detects latent tuberculosis infection.
Busan City stated that treatment for latent tuberculosis infection is currently being administered to these individuals.
The meeting held at 6 p.m. on February 19 was attended by Professor Oh Ji-eun (Kosin University Gospel Hospital), Professor Choi Soo-han (Pusan National University Hospital), Professor Park Soo-eun (Yangsan Pusan National University Children’s Hospital), as well as officials from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Gyeongnam Regional Disease Response Center.
When a tuberculosis patient was identified at M Sanhujoriwon on November 6 last year, Busan City formed an epidemiological investigation team in cooperation with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the Gyeongnam Regional Disease Response Center, and Saha-gu Public Health Center. They established a rapid response system through multiple meetings with pediatric infectious disease experts.
Regarding the results of the tuberculosis contact examination for newborns and infants completed this time, experts explained, “No additional tuberculosis patients were identified besides the initial index patient, and all BCG-unvaccinated individuals who had contact after the first confirmed patient’s symptom onset tested negative in the Tuberculin Skin Test.”
They also stated, “The overall positive rate of the Tuberculin Skin Test among all contacts was not high compared to previous case reports, and considering the clinical symptoms and imaging findings of the first confirmed patient along with the contact examination results, it is judged that the infectivity was not high.”
Acting Mayor of Busan, Lee Byung-jin, said, “We will conduct follow-up management for up to one year for the infants who underwent tuberculosis contact examination together with pediatric infectious disease experts,” adding, “We will do our best to prevent and manage tuberculosis outbreaks in newborns.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
