More than 200 staff and patients who were at a Nova Scotia hospital in September are being tested for the contagious lung disease tuberculosis.
Two cases in the region have been confirmed.
says a patient with the disease was in the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney, N.S., between Sept. 22 and 25. A second person tested positive for TB recently.
Dr. Eilish Cleary, interim Medical Officer of Health for Nova Scotia鈥檚 eastern region, said that it can take 鈥渟everal weeks, even up to a couple of months for tests to become positive.鈥�
Dr. Margaret Fraser, a doctor at the hospital where tests are taking place, says she suspects that no one knew the patient had TB.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not something that鈥檚 top of mind for most physicians when you鈥檙e seeing someone with a cough, unless they have very specific symptoms,鈥� Dr. Fraser said.
So far, no staff at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital have been diagnosed with an 鈥渁ctive鈥� infection, and the hospital says they are about three-quarters of the way through testing.
What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is rare in Canada -- there are about 1,600 cases per year in this country. However,
TB kills about 1.7 million people annually worldwide. Nearly two in three cases are in India, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, and South Africa, according to the
It can be transmitted through the air, but 鈥済enerally takes prolonged, close contact,鈥� according to the
Most people who carry the bacterium do not present with symptoms. Common symptoms of 鈥渁ctive鈥� lung infection are cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats, according to WHO.
A commonly used test for tuberculosis involves injecting a small amount of fluid into the skin in the lower part of the arm and then returning to have it checked two to three days later. TB can be treated, but it requires taking medication for six months or more.
With a report from CTV Atlantic鈥檚 Kyle Moore
