St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Maternity Ward Worker Tested Positive For Tuberculosis, Statement Says

Hospital Might Have Exposed Newborns To Tuberculosis
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital is seen in upper Manhattan on December 30, 2011 where singer Beyonce is reportedly due to deliver her first child with husband Jay Z in New York. According to Radar Online, staff at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital have been alerted that a 'celebrity VIP' will be giving birth there very soon. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital is seen in upper Manhattan on December 30, 2011 where singer Beyonce is reportedly due to deliver her first child with husband Jay Z in New York. According to Radar Online, staff at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital have been alerted that a 'celebrity VIP' will be giving birth there very soon. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Newborns at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan may have been exposed to tuberculosis, CBS reports, after a maternity ward worker tested positive Wednesday for the deadly disease.

In a statement, the hospital said all patients and hospital employees who may have been exposed to the bacterial infection were notified that the hospital will provide testing and any necessary treatment.

“We understand that patients may have concerns, and we want to assure everyone that we are taking swift and comprehensive steps to address the situation,” the statement said, according to CBS reports. “If you were recently a patient at Roosevelt Hospital and have not been notified, then you were not in contact with the infected staff member.”

The hospital also added that few people who are exposed to the tuberculosis actually end up contracting the disease. “Infection generally occurs after continuous exposure over several hours,” the hospital said in the same statement.

Even though, as NBC points out, tuberculosis was once the leading cause of death in the United States more than a century ago, modern medical experts agree that the disease can now be successfully treated with early detection.

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