178 children recalled for test after Singapore hospital nurse found to have TB

Singapore's National University Hospital (NUH) is recalling 178 children, who have been cared for by a paediatric nurse now confirmed to have tuberculosis (TB), for TB tests, said NUH in a statement on Friday.

The children include 131 under the age of two, and 34 of the 178 have received transplanted organs. They are on immunosuppression drugs and therefore at higher risk than normal children, reported the Straits Times.

NUH CEO Joe Sim said the hospital "fully understands" the anxiety of the parents, and is "taking this matter seriously."

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday stated that the TB Control Unit is currently assisting NUH "in the contact investigation for this case."

The nurse, who works in Ward 47, was diagnosed with TB on Nov. 27. She had been off duty since Nov. 24 before her diagnosis of TB was confirmed, according to NUH's Head of Paediatrics, Associate Professor Daniel Goh.

Goh added that the nurse is now on medication and has been referred to the Tuberculosis Control Unit for follow-up treatment.

Goh also mentioned the nurse's co-workers who are working in the ward have been tested and none of them have symptoms of the infection.

Tuberculosis usually spreads over a prolonged period in close contact with an infected person. In most healthy people, the immune system is able to fight the bacteria that cause TB. Enditem