SA Health has identified a cluster of Tuberculosis cases in the Murraylands with work underway to ensure all cases are provided with treatment, with high-risk close contacts followed up and screened.
Symptoms of active Tuberculosis include a bad cough that lasts longer than two weeks, pain in the chest, and coughing up blood or phlegm, and sometimes recurrent fevers and weight loss.
The cluster consists of five cases of active Tuberculosis, including one historical case from 2018 who has been linked to the new cases by genomic testing.
The four new active cases diagnosed since April 2023 include a child under the age of five years.
Most cases are linked as close family members and SA Health does not believe there is a risk to the wider community.
The cases are not linked to the outbreak in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.
High-risk contacts are those people considered to have frequent, prolonged, and close contact with an active case, such as living in the same household or dwelling.
Assessments aim to detect and treat both active and latent tuberculosis, and so far, health officials have also identified nine people with latent infections of Tuberculosis.
People with latent, or ‘sleeping’ Tuberculosis, do not have symptoms and cannot spread the infection, but over time, it can progress to active Tuberculosis.
More information about tuburculosis is available on the SA Health website.
