A resident, who performed medical rounds at BMC, West Roxbury Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital, Cape Cod Hospital and Brockton Hospital, tested positive for tuberculosis earlier this month. Officials continue to investigate the tuberculosis exposure of 4,000 Bostonians who came in contact with the Boston Medical Center (BMC) resident.

The Boston Herald reports:

"About 700 patients at the West Roxbury VA Hospital and 890 patients at BMC may have been exposed. Roughly 100 to 300 patients at Cape Cod Hospital and 150 patients at Brockton Hospital also may have been exposed."

On June 2, 2005, the resident had a chest x-ray that showed she had tuberculosis. She was immediately told to stop working. The results of her sputum culture, which came back on Monday, confirmed the tuberculosis diagnosis.

Based on the resident's medical records, health officials were able to conclude that the resident became infected between June 2003 and June 2004, and was potentially contagious from December 2004 to June 2005. Read full article...

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