Three more babies have tested positive for tuberculosis after a nurse's assistant infected with the illness possibly exposed about 860 babies at an El Paso hospital's nursery.
El Paso Public Health Director Robert Resendes said Thursday that of the total of 11 cases at Providence Memorial Hospital, seven are possible false positives because they had been vaccinated against TB previously. Parents of 95 percent of those possibly exposed have been contacted.
Preventive medical treatments have been offered for all positive cases and for 205 babies under 6 months of age. None of the positive cases have active TB, the often deadly and contagious form of the disease.
The worker reported TB-related symptoms in July but was allowed to continue working for weeks.
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