Riverside County health oTesting urged for some Moreno Valley clinic patients after active tuberculosis exposure at Kaiser Permanente facility officials are notifying those who may have been exposed to active tuberculosis at the Kaiser Permanente Moreno Valley Oncology clinic. While the risk for contracting the disease is low, both Kaiser Permanente and the Health department urge those receiving notification to be tested.
About 440 letters have been sent by Riverside University Health System-Public Health to patients urging them to be tested for tuberculosis at any Kaiser Permanente lab. The testing is being done at no charge.
Kaiser Permanente representatives worked in collaboration with county health officials to determine who may have been exposed to the illness and assisted in compiling the list of those individuals who would receive notification letters. Those who do not receive notification are considered not to be at risk for exposure, and TB testing is not recommended.
Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser emphasized the risk of transmission is low.
“While the risk of infection is low, it’s important those receiving the notification letter get tested,” Dr. Cameron Kaiser said. “The testing is quick and can provide peace of mind.”
Tuberculosis is a disease spread through the air during prolonged, repeated and close contact with an individual who is infected with active tuberculosis. People can contract TB when breathing air exhaled by someone who is sick with the illness. When left untreated, TB can result in serious complications.
TB is not spread by shaking hands, sharing food or drink, or via bed linens or toilet seats. Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. A person with inactive (latent) TB cannot spread it to others.
