Dalton, GA – Officials of North Georgia Health District 1-2 of the Georgia Department of Public Health have identified a single case of active tuberculosis (TB) in a resident of Whitfield County. The individual identified is receiving medication to treat the illness.Health officials have begun identifying contacts of the individual with active TB and are working hard to ensure that any additional contacts in the community are identified and treated. Letters of notification have been sent to those who may have been exposed and testing is underway, beginning with the closest contacts and those contacts that could be at a higher risk for infection due to underlying medical conditions.
At this point in the investigation, health officials have not detected any further spread of TB related to this particular case.
“The Whitfield County Health Department and District health officials have been working diligently to identify and test individuals at risk of exposure based on guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said David Holland, M.D., medical consultant, Georgia Tuberculosis Program. TB disease progresses over the course of weeks or months, so there is no immediate risk to the public. The Georgia Tuberculosis Program has been monitoring the progress of the contact investigation and is confident that the county’s actions are guarding the health of the public.”
TB is spread through the air by coughing, laughing, singing and sneezing. The only way to contract the disease is by close contact (several hours a day) with someone who has an active case of the disease. It cannot be spread by contact with someone's clothing, drinking glass, eating utensils, handshake, toilet or other surfaces. Symptoms of TB can include a cough of longer than three weeks, unexplained weight loss, night sweats, chills, fever and coughing up blood.
TB is preventable and curable. TB disease is typically treated for six to nine months with antibiotics. A person with TB will become non-contagious within a few days to weeks of effective treatment and will be able to return to normal activities without risk to others while completing treatment. The North Georgia Health District assures that when active TB cases are identified, they are followed closely and treated appropriately.
Local and state health officials are working closely together to investigate this case and assure that all precautions are being taken for the safety of all in the community.
For more information about tuberculosis, please note the TB Fact Sheet below or log onto the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics.