Media Advisory

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

What

Contra Costa Health Services released a report today detailing confirmed reports of tuberculosis disease in the county during 2013. The Public Health Division's Tuberculosis Program investigated 57 cases, including three patients who died from the disease. An average of 58 county residents got sick from tuberculosis each year from 2003 to 2012.

County data show that people born in countries with high rates of tuberculosis are at greater risk of becoming ill, especially if they have medical conditions that weaken their immune systems such as diabetes.

Who:

Dr. Louise McNitt, medical director of the Tuberculosis Program, will join state and local experts at a media event to discuss Bay Area tuberculosis trends on Wednesday.

When:

10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 26. Dr. McNitt is available for interviews prior to the event.

Where:

Curry International Tuberculosis Center, 300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 520, Oakland

Why:

Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease that spreads through the air when a contagious person coughs or talks. Symptoms include prolonged cough, fever, unintended weight loss, and night sweats, and the disease can be fatal if not treated.

Tuberculosis can be cured with antibiotics, but the treatment can be complicated. Public Health Division staff works intensively with every local patient's treatment, which lasts an average of seven months.

To learn more about tuberculosis in Contra Costa County, or to read the report released this week for World Tuberculosis Day, visit www.cchealth.org/tb.

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