Two cases of tuberculosis diagnosed in Cape Breton

Public health officials are in the process of checking up on as many as 300 people who may have been exposed to tuberculosis at the Cape Breton Regional hospital.

Dr. Eilish Cleary, interim Medical Officer of Health for the Antigonish- Strait- Cape Breton region, confirmed that two cases of the infectious disease have surfaced in Cape Breton.

She said while there is a low risk of contagion, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) protocol calls for followup assessments, and if necessary, testing of individuals who came into contact with the two people who were diagnosed with active tuberculosis.

The first diagnosis was in September and while the timing of a second case has not been disclosed, Cleary said the cases are related.

“The two cases are linked in that one person would have had tuberculosis and the other person would have contracted it from the first person,” she said, adding that the communicable disease, which when active most commonly affects the lungs, is not often seen in Nova Scotia.

“We usually see between two and 10 cases per year in the province, so it’s not unheard of.”

According to the renowned Mayo Clinic, tuberculosis is a “potentially serious” infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. It is spread from one person to another through microscopic droplets that are released into the air by coughing, sneezing, laughing, spitting and even singing.

And, once diagnosed, the disease is very treatable as most people who contract active tuberculosis and are given appropriate drugs will stop being contagious after a couple of weeks.