State Sees 4 Cases of TB in 3 Months
Posted on: Thursday, 31 March 2005, 21:00 CST
The state has recorded four cases of tuberculosis in the first quarter of this year, all in Cumberland County, say public health officials.
The most recent case involved a man who was diagnosed with the infectious disease last week and is being treated at Mercy Hospital in Portland, according to Dr. David Bachman, vice president of medical affairs.
Public health nurses are trying to notify at least a dozen people who have had contact with the man.
Public health officials are not saying where the man contracted tuberculosis, for fear of creating stigma. But they said that high- risk populations include people born in countries with high rates of the bacterial disease, and people who live in close quarters and share air space - such as the homeless, prisoners and nursing home residents. People with compromised immune systems are also vul- nerable.
Portland experienced an outbreak among its homeless population starting in 2002. A total of eight people were diagnosed with TB by 2004. All have completed the necessary drug regimens.
The search for hundreds of their contacts continues to this day, said Maine's state epidemiologist, Dr. Kathleen Gens- heimer.
No link has been established between this year's first three cases of TB and the outbreak among the homeless population. But Gensheimer said she could not rule out a connection in the fourth case, pending further investigation.
Maine logged 20 cases last year and 24 the previous year, with Portland, as Maine's largest city, typically accounting for more than a third of the cases.
There are about 1.6 cases per 100,000 people in Maine, compared with a national rate of 5.1 cases per 100,000.
While Maine's low rate is credited to the diligence of public health workers, some health officials worry that it may let TB be overlooked as a diagnosis. The disease has been confused with smokers' cough and pneumonia, Gensheimer said.
Source: Portland Press Herald
Related Articles
- Maine Public Service and Central Maine Power to Invest Up to $500 Million in Northern Maine
- Centene Corporation Subsidiary to Acquire Cardium Health Services; Further Expands Disease Management Capabilities
- Much Riding on Convert's Case: Afghanistan's Future--and Man's Life--at Stake
- Tuberculosis Cases on Rise in Africa: UN Officials
- NetWellness Unveils Expanded African American Health Site at Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust Public Forum on Health Disparities at Case
- Polio Case Near Angolan Capital "One-Off Case": Health Officials
- More Than One Third of Beijingers Suffer Chronic Diseases: Official
- Mental Health Services: A Public Health Perspective, 2nd Ed.
- Colon Cancer Doesn't Care If You're From Mars or Venus; Years of Media Coverage and Americans Still View Colorectal Cancer As Man's Disease
- Cardiovascular Problems Often Mistaken As a "Man's Disease"
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds