Correctional officers free of TB

Eight Nevada State Prison correctional officers who tested positive for the germ that causes tuberculosis have cleared further medical tests, a prison official said Tuesday.

"Their chest X-rays came back negative so they've been exposed to the virus, but obviously they haven't developed the disease itself," said Fritz Schlottman, administrator of the offender management division.

The correctional officers' annual TB skin tests indicated an exposure to the germ that causes the disease. State epidemiologist Dr. Randall Todd said a positive skin test doesn't mean the person has TB.

The person is then evaluated by a doctor for symptoms and given a chest X-ray. If the patient has the active disease, it should show up on the chest X-ray, Todd said. If a patient doesn't have any symptoms and the chest X-ray is clear, then that person isn't infectious and could be put on a treatment to reduce their chances of developing the disease later in life.

In addition to those cases, two other prison workers recently received positive results on the skin tests.

One person works at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center and the other works at the Lovelock prison.

All 11,000 inmates in the state prison system will be tested for TB, Schlottman said. The process began at the Nevada State Prison and should be completed in about two weeks. He said so far one inmate with a questionable chest X-ray has been transported to the Northern Nevada Correctional Center for further tests.

A person is infected with TB by being in close proximity for long periods of time with someone who has the active disease in an infectious state, he said. Tuberculosis is an airborne illness that most often affects the lungs. It can be fatal if not treated.

The Nevada Department of Corrections will have a town hall meeting with Nevada State prison inmates and the media today at 1:30 p.m. to discuss any concerns regarding the positive TB tests results at the prison.

n Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.