Oklahoma Health Department Narrows Focus Of Possible Tuberculosis Exposure

Monday, September 18th 2006, 4:11 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma City-County Health Department said Tuesday it is narrowing the focus of its investigation of persons who might have been exposed to tuberculosis by coming into contact with a health care worker who has been diagnosed with the disease.

The agency wants to contact patients and others who stayed for prolonged periods of time on the sixth, eighth or 10th floors of Integris Southwest Medical Center in Oklahoma City between Jan. 1 and Aug. 11.

The employee, a woman who has not been identified, was diagnosed on Aug. 14 but reported experiencing symptoms of the disease for six months earlier, officials said. TB primarily affects the lungs and symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, low-grade fever, chills and possible weight loss.

The health care worker has not worked at the hospital since she was diagnosed.

The disease is spread by germs that float in the air when an infected persons coughs, shouts or sneezes and are inhaled by others.