San Diego County on Thursday announced that a passenger using the Metropolitan Transit System in the South Bay has been diagnosed with infectious pulmonary tuberculosis.
As a result, the county Health and Human Services Agency is working with MTS officials to notify individuals who possibly were exposed.
Riders using the following routes from Feb. 16 to July 16 could have been exposed and are at risk for infection:
- Bus route 950 from Otay Mesa Transit Center toward Iris Avenue Transit Center Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 6 a.m.;
- Bus route 950 from Iris Avenue Transit Center to Otay Mesa Transit Center from 3 to 5 p.m.;
- Blue Line Trolley from Iris Avenue to H Street from 5 to 6:30 a.m., and
- Blue Line Trolley from H Street to Iris Avenue from 2:30 to 5 p.m.
Affected passengers are advised to consult with their medical provider or contact the county TB Control Program at 619-692-8621 to arrange testing. MTS employees will be tested by their occupational health program.
“Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer. “Most people who are exposed do not develop the disease and TB can be treated and cured with medication.”
The number of annual TB cases in San Diego County has decreased since the early 1990s and stabilized in recent years. There were 264 cases reported in 2019, 192 cases in 2020 and 201 cases in 2021.
Thus far, 97 cases have been reported in 2022.
– City News Service