Health authorities have announced yesterday that three elderly people have died after an outbreak of tuberculosis at a care home for the elderly. They also told about the fourth resident at the home is recovering after being diagnosed with TB last October.
The statement of NHS Lanarkshire said that four residents of the Eastercroft House care home have been diagnosed of TB. They said that three of those residents also had other long-standing medical problems and were already frail and ill. They announced that of the three deaths of two was confirmed due to T.B and that T.B had played a significant role in the death of the third and that the fourth resident, is continuing to respond to treatment in the care home.They announced that precautions were taken and all the residents and staff were screened after test results last month showed the cases were linked. The health officials have said that an outbreak control team has been set up and almost 2/3rd of the residents have been screened so far. They also said that they had informed the residents, their family members, and the staff about the situation.
Dr Jim Miller, a consultant in public health medicine, has explained that tuberculosis is a relatively rare disease in Scotland and that it is not easily transmitted. He stated that it would always be a good practise in health to fully study all potentially linked cases of TB that has come in open, and to look for any early warning signs, so that prompt and immediate care can be taken. It was reported that all the necessary control measures have been placed, and that the situation would be monitored regularly.
TB is an infection, which usually affects the lungs but can also develop in other parts of the body, such as the kidney or glands.
