Tuberculosis outbreak at major hospital

Sydney hospital St Vincent’s has an outbreak of tuberculosis with hundreds being tested after five people were confirmed infected.

Major Sydney hospital St Vincent’s has an outbreak of tuberculosis with hundreds being tested after five people were confirmed to be infected.

Nine newspapers reports that a cluster of highly infectious cases had been identified among a group of patients with an identical strain of active tuberculosis.

Four of the confirmed TB cases were patients, and the other a staff member.

A St Vincent’s spokesperson said one person diagnosed at the hospital had spread the infection to others while they spent several hours in a particular area.

The infections began last year when a man presenting at the hospital’s emergency department with asthma and pneumonia had undiagnosed tuberculosis.

St Vincents Hospital has reported an outbreak of the potentially deadly respiratory disease tuberculosis. Picture: Steve Tyson

He is believed to have infected two patients and a healthcare worker before being diagnosed with TB, isolated and PPE (personal protection equipment) protocols introduced for his care.

Two weeks ago genomic testing identified the same strain of TB in all those infected

Health authorities are now testing hundreds of staff and patients potentially exposed at St Vincent’s to the potentially fatal respiratory disease which spreads by droplets but is not as infectious as coronavirus.

Passengers who sailed on the infamous coronavirus ship Ruby Princess were warned in late May of a possible TB risk after a crew member tested positive to the disease.

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