By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Barton County Health Director Shelly Schneider says the Health Department is still administering treatment for the active tuberculosis (TB) case that was confirmed in Barton County earlier this month. The active case was confirmed from blood tests and a chest x-ray.
As soon as the Health Department was notified by a facility outside of Barton County that the person tested positive for tuberculosis, the department started an investigation.
"We find out who their contacts are," said Schneider. "We have a very specific disease investigation guideline from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment."
Schneider says TB is on the verge of being a drug-resistant bacteria. Tuberculosis usually affects the lungs, but can also attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. Health officials are very careful with the procedure of treatment and drugs administered to those infected.
Oftentimes, TB can be misdiagnosed as influenza during the winter or allergies in the summer. Schneider says it is difficult sometimes to pinpoint an illness such as tuberculosis.
"We know it is not influenza because we got tested," said Schneider. "We know it is not pneumonia because we received a chest x-ray. Those things that linger and do not get better. Exclusionary diagnosis helps make a diagnosis as well."
A few positive, but not active cases, were identified following the investigation of the TB case in Barton County. Schneider says those individuals are undergoing treatment as well.
TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The bacteria is put into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs or sneezes.