Interviews and follow-ups are progressing well into the case of a Tyson worker who died Jan. 4 with an active case of tuberculosis.
Flint Hills Community Health Center Director Lougene Marsh said this morning that about 35 interviews have been completed and she expects the effort to be completed soon.
“That includes both co-workers there at Tyson and close household contacts, and then social contacts that were more than just a brief casual (contact),” Marsh said.
“The good news is that there have been no surprises,” she said. “We have identified no more active cases, including the household contacts that we have interviewed. We have done follow-up chest X-rays for confirmation.”
According to information released last week, the deceased worker, whose identity has not been released, had been diagnosed earlier with latent TB infection. The disease apparently turned active, and was named in a preliminary coroner’s report as being related to the man’s death.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and local health center workers presented eight programs to plant management and management support employees throughout the day Thursday at Tyson. Additional training and educational programs will be presented at the plant as needed, officials said.
Treatment of a latent TB infection, to be effective, requires daily medication for nine months. Laws do not require the patient to be monitored to ensure the medication is taken properly.
“We think we’ll have everything wrapped up before the end of this week or at least by the end of this week,” Marsh said.
People who believe they may have had contact with the deceased man, or who want to request a TB test, may call the health department, 342-4864.