Tuberculosis case confirmed in St. Anthony

A patient who died at the hospital in St. Anthony on Feb. 10 had tuberculosis, Labrador-Grenfell Health confirms, as the health authority now moves to test individualswho may have had close contact with that person.

In a news release late Friday, the health authority said the patient, whosegender hasnot been identified, was admitted to the Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital on Dec. 31, and died on Feb. 10.

The TB diagnosis was made a day later,on Thursday.

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Labrador-Grenfell Health is now in the midst of contact tracing identifying people who had regular, prolonged contact with the patient so they can be tested for the disease.

"If you are not contacted, you are not considered to be a close contact and will not require testing," said Dr. David Allison, Newfoundland and Labrador'schief medical officer of health, in the release.

The health authority said the risk to other patients, staff and visitors of the hospital is low, and that the patient was not related to the recent cases of TB in Labrador.