Brockton hospital treated four cases of tuberculosis

Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton recently treated four people for tuberculosis, and there are about 10 active cases of the disease among city residents, officials said Thursday.

“Good Samaritan Hospital has treated a small number of patients who have been diagnosed with tuberculosis,” the hospital said in a statement. “Our obligation is to diagnose and treat these patients, we have done so and they have been released. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health oversees follow up and tracking and we have been in communication with them regarding these patients.”

A hospital spokesperson confirmed in a follow-up email that four patients had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. The spokesperson would only say the four had been seen “in the past quarter,” citing medical privacy laws.

A state DPH spokesperson referred questions to Brockton Board of Health officials.

Dr. Eno Mondesir, director of Brockton’s Board of Health, said Thursday via email that his office is currently aware of “about 10 active” cases of tuberculosis among city residents.

“These cases are NOT related (therefore, they do not [meet] ... the definition of an outbreak); furthermore, the 10 or so cases receive care from multiple healthcare facilities throughout the State,” Mondesir wrote.

Mayor Robert F. Sullivan’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The disease is spread “through the air from one person to another,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “When a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks, or sings, TB bacteria can get into the air.”