OMAHA, Nebraska - The Douglas County Health Department is working on a contact investigation following a confirmed case of tuberculosis. Sr. Epidemiologist Dr. Anne O'Keefe tells KFAB Radio News that the infected person was visiting from out of state last summer.
Dr. O'Keefe says, "We are finding out who that person was in close contact with and we are testing them. So far, we have tested 31 people. Fourteen of those have tested positive but most of them only had latent tuberculosis which is not contagious. One of them has active tuberculosis and that person is also not contagious."
O'Keefe says this is a routine contact investigation that is conducted when any form of tuberculosis is identified.
Tuberculosis is an illness that is caused by bacteria. it can infect a person in several different ways. Latent tuberculosis doesn't cause any illness. If that turns in to active tuberculosis it can infect various parts of your body. If it infects the lungs it can cause fever, respiratory symptoms, coughs and that is the form of tuberculosis that can contagious to others.