BOSTON -- State health officials are investigating a tuberculosis scare that affects several area hospitals.

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Jack Harper Reports On Scare Heather Unruh Reports On TB Jim Boyd Reports On Reaction 617-534-5611

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that a surgical intern who's worked at four local hospitals has the disease and hundreds of people may have been exposed.

"We are here today because the Boston Public Health Commission has diagnosed a case of active tuberculosis in a health care worker who worked at four hospitals," said Dr. John Rich, of The Boston Public Health Commission.

The female intern, who is now on leave and undergoing treatment, worked at four Massachusetts hospitals including West Roxbury Veterans Affairs Hospital, Cape Cod Hospital, Boston Medical Center and Brockton Hospital. Those hospitals are in the process of assessing who should be tested at those facilities.

"We would estimate that approximately 1,600 people might have had contact with the infected health care worker. That is a large number and most of those individuals will not have any infection related to this at all," said Rich.

Experts said there is no threat to the general public.

"From a physician's standpoint, the statement I would like to make at the beginning is that tuberculosis is a very treatable disease and a relatively small percentage of people exposed to the virus will actually contract the disease," said Dr. Keith Lewis, of Boston Medical Center.

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"We are working together to ensure that every person for whom there was any risk of exposure or infection is contacted and has the appropriate testing and referral that is necessary to reassure them," said Rich.

Health officials are trying to get in touch with all of the patients who have had surgery recently, e-mailing them, calling them and sending them letters, urging them to come to the hospitals as soon as possible for free testing.

Tuberculosis is a disease that usually attacks the lungs, and is caused by bacteria that can be released into the air by an infected person who coughs or sneezes. Antibiotics usually are effective in treating the disease if it is caught early.

Tuberculosis, once the leading cause of death in the United States, has re-emerged as a serious health problem.

In 2004, there were 284 cases of tuberculosis in Massachusetts -- a 9 percent increase from the year before.

In recent years, scares in school districts have prompted skin testing of exposed students and teachers. The test involves a small injection just under the skin to see if swelling develops days later.

The biggest problem, experts said, is the active form can be passed from person to person, although the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention said quite a bit of exposure to an infected person is needed. On average, people have a 50 percent chance of becoming infected if they spend eight hours a day for six months with an infected person.

Complicating matters more is that not everyone who gets infected with tuberculosis will know it. The bacteria can lie dormant for years, without causing symptoms. Symptoms of the disease include coughing, fever, loss of appetite, night sweats and feeling extreme fatigue.

Treatment usually involves a combination of up to four medicines given over a period of six to nine months. The CDC said nine out of 10 patients who do receive appropriate treatment can be cured.

Anyone who thinks they may have been exposed should contact their physician, the hospital or the Boston Public Health Commission at 617-534-5611.