CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Clinic is looking into a potential case of Tuberculosis involving an employee.
The employee works in the pediatric ICU but is currently being treated for symptoms that appear to be like Tuberculosis.
Twenty patients that this employee had direct contact with are being contacted to receive a physical exam and to be put on prophylactic antibiotics out of an abundance of caution.
Two-hundred other patients are being notified only because they were in the ICU at the time the employee was present.
Cleveland Clinic has reported the case to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. However, it’s important to note that this is not a confirmed case and the two initial tests that the employee underwent came back negative. It may take up to six weeks for a culture to show a definitive answer.
Tuberculosis is an easily treated disease and it’s very difficult to contract. It may also be that the employee is suffering from something unrelated, Cleveland Clinic is taking action out of an abundance of caution.
Cleveland Clinic issued the following statement Friday afternoon:
“We are currently testing an employee who works in our main campus Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for a possible case of tuberculosis which we believe to be a low probability. Preliminary tests are negative and we are continuing to monitor and will have a definitive answer in the coming weeks. The employee is currently on leave, and we are working closely with the Cuyahoga County Health Department. There were no other locations within the Children’s Hospital that were impacted. Out of an abundance of caution, we are proactively reaching out to patients and our employees who may have been exposed from early September through early November of this year. The safety of our patients, caregivers and their families is our top priority. If you have additional questions, please call 216-442-2500.”
Click here to learn more about Tuberculosis.