More new TB cases in SA as total hits 60 with new cluster warning

The chief public health officer has called for calm, telling South Australians the disease is not like covid.

South Australia may face a third cluster of tuberculosis (TB) as two new cases — a young child and a woman in her 60s — struggle with the disease. SA now has 20 active cases and 40 latent cases.

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier urged calm, noting that unlike the Covid virus, the slow growing bacterial disease cannot be picked up “walking past someone in the supermarket.”

She said the people in the known two clusters were getting treatment but warned there may now be a third cluster as checks are taken on a woman in her 60s now in hospital.

“We are not sure which cluster this person may be associated with and in fact it may be indeed a third cluster, until we get the genomics back from the person’s sputum sample we won’t be be able to say,” Prof Spurrier said.

“It’s possible this new case may have a completely different strain and they have just gone from having latent TB to active TB and they have had the latent TB in their chest for many years and caught it somewhere else.”

Professor Nicola Spurrier. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

The two new cases include a child under the age of five years old linked to the cluster of cases now totalling six in the Murraylands.

The child is a family member of other cases. There are nine linked latent cases, not causing discomfort for the people but needing treatment to prevent it “coming back to life” Prof Spurrier said.

The other case was diagnosed in Adelaide but SA Health officials say the woman recently travelled while potentially infectious to Port Augusta and several Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands communities.

She is a woman in her 60s being treated in hospital.

A TB outbreak in the APY Lands was declared in March, with 13 confirmed cases including one historical case and one death.

More than 700 people have been screened as part of the state government’s efforts to deal with this outbreak. Another 31 latent cases have been identified.

SA Health is working with the Aṉangu community to deal with the outbreak on the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands.

Health checks include chest X-rays, blood and sputum tests,

SA TB services is working to identify high risk close contacts associated with both of the latest cases and provide specialist screening clinics.

People who are contacted by SA TB Services are strongly encouraged to be screened to protect their health and the health of those around them.

Health Minister Chris Picton and Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier have both visited the APY Lands recently. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said there was no need for the community or others to alter their activities in response to these cases.

“People identified by SA TB Services as a potential contact will be asked to undergo screening,” Prof Spurrier said.

“This is important for their own health and the health of their loved ones.”

High-risk contacts are those people considered to have frequent, prolonged and close contact with an active case, such as living in the same household or dwelling.

An investment of $1.9m through a state government package announced in June, is supporting efforts to fight the APY Lands outbreak by delivering tailored community engagement and education while upskilling health practitioners who previously may not have seen cases of TB in their clinical practice.

The Aboriginal Public Health team from the Department for Health and Wellbeing, SA TB Services within the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, SA Pathology and South Australia Medical Imaging have been working closely with the Nganampa Health Council and local Anangu community leaders to co-ordinate testing, screening, contact tracing and treatment for those who require it.

Prof Spurrier and Health Minister Chris Picton have both visited the APY Lands recently to see first-hand the impact of the work.