Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
Hurley — There has been a diagnosed case of tuberculosis in Iron County, but health officials say there is little danger to the public.
According to an Iron County Health Department press release, the department is working with neighboring Ashland and Bayfield counties to ensure the safety of the community.
Health Officer Zona Wick told the Daily Globe she has also contacted the relevant health providers in the area, as well as the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department.
“Providers need to know we now need to be screening people and asking the right questions,” Wick said.
The person who tested positive is in isolation and under the care of a physician, according to the release.
The department is working to identify not only how the person became infected, according to Wick, but also who he or she has been in contact with to ensure the disease doesn’t spread further.
TB is only contractible through close and constant contact with an infected person, meaning being in the same room isn’t necessarily enough to contact the disease.
A TB diagnosis is rare in this area, according to Wick.
“I’ve been here 10 years and I have not seen an active (case of) TB. This is very unusual,” Wick said.
Wick said identifying the source of the infection is difficult because the person can be infected for years before symptoms occur, if they occur at all. This is known as latent TB, Wick said.
“This person that has TB could have been exposed as a child and the TB can sit in your lungs — it’s called latent TB — it can just sit there and it can never become active or if your immune system is compromised for some reason ... then all of a sudden that latent TB ... can become active,” Wick said.
Symptoms of the disease include a cough that lasts longer than two weeks, coughing up sputum or blood, fevers, night sweats, fatigue and unintended weight loss.
While TB is serious, Wick said it is treatable.
“Often times, between two and four medications are given to the person, and it is treatable,” Wick said.
If someone is experiencing any of the symptoms, contact a health care provider or the Iron County Health Department at 715-561-2191 to arrange for testing.
