Lackland DFAC contractor infects 11 with TB

Lackland DFAC contractor infects 11 with TB
By Sam LaGrone and Michael Hoffman - Staff writers
Posted : Monday Mar 9, 2009 18:55:16 EDT

A dozen civilian employees in a dining hall at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, have tested positive for tuberculosis, but the dishwasher who infected his co-workers did not transmit the disease to any military personnel, according to base and health spokesmen.

The dishwasher was assigned to the dining hall at Lackland Training Annex, a satellite campus, where more than 1,300 personnel eat on an average weekday, said Oscar Balladares, a Lackland spokesman.

The Philippines native was diagnosed with TB in late February and is the only one of the 12 contractors who has a contagious strain, said Domingo Navarro, program manager for the tuberculosis section of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.

“We caught it in time,” Navarro said. “We’re comfortable that we have this under control.”

The other 11 contractors are being treated for early stages of TB and are expected to recover, Navarro said.


Rest of article at: http://airforcetimes.com/news/2009/03/airforce_lackland_tuberculosis_030909/%2e