TB Scare at Gwinnett Medical Center

Gwinnett Medical Center announced Tuesday it is in the process of notifying 133 patients and a number of hospital employees that they may have come in contact with tuberculosis (TB).

Alan Bier, MD, Gwinnett Medical Center’s chief medical officer, said at a press conference the hospital recently learned one of its employees developed active TB.        

They are warning those who may have come in contact with the employee between February 1 and May 10.

Letters were mailed to the 133 patients urging them to be tested for the disease. They may contact the Gwinnett County Health Department to arrange to have a skin test at its Preventive Health Clinic at 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 400, in Lawrenceville.

The tests will be performed for former patients at no charge.

Bier said tests for all employees have returned negative so far.

Gwinnett Med followed state law requiring all active TB cases be reported to the local health department.

“I want to emphasize that the risk of contracting TB from this type of exposure is low,” Dr. Bier said in a release, “but it is important to do everything possible to rule out the possibility that any individual may have had a significant exposure.”

According to Bier, all hospital employees are tested for TB once a year.

This story is authored by Vanzetta Evans and initially ran on Lawrenceville Patch.