City health department informs about two cases of tuberculosis in Chemnitz
Contact persons have been identified - tuberculosis consultation hours at the public health department provide advice
Two cases of infectious tuberculosis have been reported to the public health department. Two people are affected, one student from Chemnitz and another who attends a private educational institution in Chemnitz. Both people are currently undergoing treatment.
In order to prevent further infection, contact persons must be examined and infected persons must be treated immediately. For this reason, the direct contact persons were identified and notified.
They were contacted by the public health department and asked to come to the tuberculosis consultation. There they will be given a consultation followed by a medical history and a blood sample for the tuberculosis test. Depending on the test result, further measures will follow. "In the event of an infection, the body's good defences are sufficient to prevent the tuberculosis bacteria from spreading and multiplying in the organism," says Anke Protze, Head of the Hygiene and Infection Protection Department at the Chemnitz Health Department.
What is tuberculosis actually?
Tuberculosis is a contagious, bacterial infectious disease. Tuberculosis bacteria can be passed on through droplet infection when coughing, sneezing, speaking and laughing. The risk of infection varies and depends on the amount of bacteria, the duration of contact and your own physical condition.
The probability of infection increases in particular the longer you spend in a closed room with an infected person. In the case of open pulmonary tuberculosis, at least eight hours of room contact with the infected person is required in order to be considered a suspected contact person.
The disease can go unnoticed for a long time. Symptoms that may indicate tuberculosis: Drop in performance, night sweats, prolonged cough, slight increase in body temperature and/or weight loss. The period from infection to the onset of the disease usually varies between three months and two years.
The tuberculosis department of the public health department can answer questions on 0371/ 488 5844 and 488 5846.