110 of 350 Poultry Workers Test Positive for TB

The Democrat Gazette reported that 110 of 350 poultry workers at an Arkansas River Valley poultry plant tested positive for tuberculosis. Only one worker had the active form of the disease, which can lie dormant for years. The worker is responding to treatment. The outbreak is not necessarily a sign of a general outbreak of TB in Danville, as a public health spokesman noted that many of the workers come from countries where TB is more common.

There are normally about 30 active cases of TB a year in Arkansas. Over 16,000 people in America have tested positive for TB, but recently 44% of those have been found to be people living in the U.S. but born in other countries.