El Paso Health Dept. announces 3 new positive TB tests; Dept. shifting from testing to treatment phase

The City of El Paso Department of Public Health announced Thursday morning that there have been three new cases of babies testing positive for tuberculosis (TB).

Of those three positives the Health Dept. considers two of them to be false positives because they had been given the BCG vaccine.

The total number of positive tests is now 11 with seven of them believed to be false positives because those babies had been given the BCG vaccine.

The four babies who are “true” positives were born in September 2013, December 2013 and January and February 2014, Health Director Robert Resendes said.

“We’re definitely seeing a winter cluster for our true positives,” Resendes said.

None of the positive cases are active (contagious) cases of TB.

Of the 11 total positive cases, seven of them live in the U.S. and four of them have both U.S. and Mexico addresses.

Ninety-five percent of the 860 babies exposed to the active case of TB have been contacted about being tested.

The babies were exposed to a hospital worker who had an active case of TB at Providence Memorial Hospital.

The Health Dept. is now shifting from the testing phase to the treatment phase.

Health Dept. officials have recommended that all babies exposed who are 6 months old or younger should receive preventative treatment.

There has been a low response rate for treatment with only 29 out of 205 babies recommended for the treatment actually taking the treatment.

Many parents may be concerned about possible side effects, including those affecting liver function. But department officials said the treatments are necessary for babies under six months old.

“Those 205 babies are all less than 6 months,” Dr. Hector Ocaranza with the Health Department said. “And being less than 6 months, they’re more vulnerable. Their immune system is not as developed as older babies. And that’s why they’re considered higher risk.”