TB scare: 3 Chicago-area hospitals evaluate patients, staff for tuberculosis

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TB scare: 3 Chicago-area hospitals evaluate patients, staff for tuberculosis
Doctor-in-training had infection and may have exposed hundreds

By Steve Schmadeke | Tribune reporter
9:49 AM CDT, April 12, 2009

Three area hospitals where hundreds may have been exposed to tuberculosis from a doctor-in-training were still working Saturday to contact patients and narrow down how many people were at risk.

The 26-year-old female Northwestern University pediatric resident was diagnosed last week with TB. She most recently had worked at Children's Memorial Hospital, from Nov. 20 to April 3, where she was in contact with at least 150 children and more than 300 workers.

So far no one has tested positive for TB, though only a small number of patients apparently have been tested, hospital officials said.

Children's Memorial and Evanston Hospital already have begun unrelated mandatory TB testing of all employees who interact with hospital patients. None of the roughly 1,000 Children's workers whose test results have been returned had the bacterial disease, a spokeswoman said.

Evanston Hospital identified 80 babies who may have been exposed between Feb. 12 and March 11, spokeswoman Amy Ferguson said. About 70 of the affected families have been reached by phone, and the remainder are being notified by certified letter, she said.

The hospital believes about 140 employees also may have been exposed, and testing for patients and their families likely will start Wednesday.

On Saturday, Northwestern Memorial Hospital narrowed its window of potential exposure by two days, from Nov. 3 to 19. A spokeswoman said the hospital is contacting 17 patients at its Prentice Women's Hospital who may be affected and is "evaluating" another 100 patients who may have been exposed.

sschmadeke@tribune.com