400 federal office workers to be tested for TB

Ottawa PublicHealth has advisedsome 400 federal government workers at an office building in theByWard Marketto get tested for tuberculosis after one of their colleagues contracted the infectious disease in August.

The public health agency notified the workers at 350 King Edward Ave., who include both federal public servants and contractors employed by outside companies, about the possible exposure earlier this month.

"As soon as we know somebody has tuberculosis we move into place to make sure that the exposure stops," said Dr. Robin Taylor, Ottawa's associate medical officer of health.

She said public health professionals areworking with the employers to ensure workers are given the appropriate information, skin testing for tuberculosis,and, if necessary, treatment for the disease. So far none of the other workers has tested positive forTB.

35thTB case this year

Taylor said the workerdid not know they had the disease at the time of potential exposure.The disease was in the person's lungs, which is the most infectious form of tuberculosis.

Ottawa Public Health won't release any more information about the worker in order to protect their privacy.

"We want to make sure we followed up with anyone who might have been exposed, because tuberculosis is very treatable, and most people never end up being sick," Taylorsaid.

It's possible to be infected with tuberculosisbacteriabutnotdevelopthedisease.In fact, some90 per centof people who become infected never develop the TB.

It's the35thconfirmed case of tuberculosis in Ottawa this year.

Taylor called the testing of other employees "precautionary."

Company sends HR reps

Nevertheless, one company with contract employees at the building has sent in its own human resources personelas"an opportunity to raise your concerns and questions," according to an emailto affected workers.

Modis spokesperson Mary Beth Waddilltold CBC: "In the event our employees could be exposed to a communicable disease, we work closely with Ottawa Public Health."

The skin test for tuberculosis is only reliable if it's administered eight weeks after potential exposure, meaning employees will have some time to wait before results are known.

Factsabout TB

• Ottawa had35 confirmed tuberculosis cases betweenJanuary andAugust 2017.
• From 2012 to 2016, OPH received an average of 46 reports of TB per year.
• Sixty-five per centof the cases in Ottawa involve patients between the ages of 20 and 59.