OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — As many as 500 people, potentially exposed to tuberculosis at the Westview YMCA drop-in daycare, known as Childwatch at the YMCA, near 156th and Ida.
Parents met with Douglas County health leaders Thursday night. But just how dangerous is this, more broadly?
Health Director for Douglas County, Dr. Lindsay Huse could issue a public health emergency. In this case it would be to free up resources from other departments, for things like staffing at clinics.
"We are not ordering anything, this is more of an administrative kind of thing, but it also shows the seriousness of the situation," said Justin Frederick, deputy director of the Douglas County Health Department.
"Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease that is spread via a respiratory route," said Dr. Rupp, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Nebraska Medicine.
It is spread through coughing, but you must be around the individual for about 30 minutes.
Dr. Rupp said most people who get exposed to tuberculosis never realize it.
"And they go into what we call a latent tuberculosis," said Rupp.
But what makes the case at the Westview YMCA so serious is that it involves children.
"Children under the age of five are much more likely, after they get exposed, to develop active disease without going through that latency period,” said Rupp.
The health department said children are more vulnerable because their immune systems are not fully developed.
"Parents of exposed children will have received a letter from the YMCA, that either says whether their children were exposed and the date that that exposure happened, or if they were not exposed,” said Dr. Lindsay Huse, health director, Douglas County Health Department.
But exposure does not mean you have been infected.
"The risk of getting infected is dependent upon your immune system and how closely you have been exposed to that index case, that person who was coughing in that daycare center," said Rupp.
Symptoms of tuberculosis include cough, shortness of breath, fevers, night sweats, wasting, and coughing up blood.
"Particularly with adults, these symptoms can go on for weeks and weeks, people think that oh, I’ve got a little bit of a cough or bronchitis, it's going to go away, and then it just doesn't," said Rupp.
It's important to know, the spread is very different than respiratory illnesses like Covid-19.
"This one moves in weeks and months rather than hours and days,” said Rupp.
Dr. Rupp says with the large number, screening will take time, but it is doable.
"This is something, although worrisome, although something we need to pay attention to, is something that we can get our hands on, and get a handle on and prevent further progression," said Rupp.
Testing for Hundreds of people, some of them children, as soon as Saturday. Reporter John Brown looked into that.
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