Last Updated on August 18, 2016 – 2:15 PM CDT
A Moore County resident was diagnosed with tuberculosis and is cooperating with health officials and receiving treatment, according to Moore County Emergency Management Coordinator Tommy Brooks.
Brooks reported that local officials met Wednesday with the Texas Department of State Health Services to discuss the case and determine what actions to take. The TDSHS is the county’s local health authority, and Brooks said people who had contact with the individual are being identified and screened. Those people are cooperating and are staying in their homes as the screening continues. State officials recommended local authorities make the community aware of the situation and provide information about the disease.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection, and the bacteria that causes it is transmitted through the air, making the disease contagious. Antibiotics virtually wiped out tuberculosis, but the disease has resurfaced in new potent forms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
You cannot get TB from:
• Clothes
• Drinking glass
• Eating utensils
• Handshake
• Toilet
• Other surfaces
Brooks said TB is sometimes diagnosed in Moore County, and local officials want to remind people of the precautions they can take to prevent the spread of the disease.
For more information go to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.