A Toronto-area hospital is testing 87 infants for potential exposure to tuberculosis after a staff member tested positive for the infectious disease.
The Scarborough Hospital warned late last week that dozens of babies who were in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between April 1 and July 18 may have been exposed to the disease.
The hospital has called the tests a “precaution,” saying the risk of transmission is low.
"Although TB cases are on the rise in Toronto, they are extremely rare for newborns,” Dr. Reena Lovinsky, an expert in infection prevention at The Scarborough Hospital, said in a statement.
Toronto Public Health has contacted the families of the 87 at-risk infants, and encouraged them to bring their children to clinics at the hospital for TB testing.
The at-risk infants can expect to undergo a chest X-ray and skin tests. The babies will also receive an oral medication, known as isoniazid (INH), as a preventative treatment.
According to Lovinsky, there is no further risk of transmission. The NICU at both of the Scarborough hospital’s General and Birchmount campuses remains open.
Tuberculosis is a contagious, but treatable disease caused by bacteria which could result in a persistent cough and other fever-like symptoms. Newborns are especially susceptible to TB, which typically affects the lungs.
The Canadian Lung Association estimates that the disease kills more than two million people worldwide each year. More than eight million are said to develop the disease every year.