People who used the Mission Valley YMCA between March 5 and Oct. 30, 2023 may have been exposed to tuberculosis.
The county announced Friday that its Tuberculosis Program in the Public Health Services department is working with the Mission Valley YMCA location at 5505 Friars Road in order to notify members and staff who were potentially exposed to the illness.
People who are believed to have had the longest cumulative duration of exposure during those time periods already have been notified individually.
According to the county, the TB exposures took place almost exclusively between 9 and 11 in the morning.
Tuberculosis is transmitted from person to person through inhalation of the bacteria from the air. The chance of infection is higher for people with prolonged indoor exposure to someone who is infected.
People infected with active tuberculosis are often unaware they have the disease, and they may be contagious for several months before being diagnosed.
Many symptoms of active tuberculosis are similar to other illnesses, including a persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss, said Dr. Wilma Wooten, public health officer for San Diego County.
“Most people who become infected after exposure to tuberculosis do not get sick right away. This is called latent TB infection. Some who become infected with TB will become ill in the future, sometimes even years later, if their latent TB infection is not treated.”
Blood and skin tests are effective to determine whether someone has been infected, she added.
The number of people diagnosed with active tuberculosis in the county has decreased since the early 1990s and has stabilized in recent years.
In 2020, there were 192 cases and 201 people reported with active disease in 2021. In 2022, 208 active cases were reported.
An estimated 175,000 people in San Diego County have latent TB infection and are at risk for developing the active illness without preventive treatment.
Anyone who would like more information can call the County TB Control Program at (619) 692-5565.
