Outbreak of 17 Cases of Multi-Drug-Resistant TB Reported in Minnesota
by MICHAEL PATRICK LEAHY
BreitBart.com
6 Nov 2017
An outbreak of 17 cases of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) has been reported in Ramsey County, the second most populous county in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed to Breitbart News on Monday.
“The outbreak has primarily affected elderly residents in the Hmong community, with 10 cases linked to a senior center where the first case was detected in 2016. Four other Hmong residents were also infected. So far six of the 17 people have died, three as a direct result of tuberculosis [TB],” the Star Tribune reported on Monday adding:
Some of the first transmissions occurred among a group of seniors who regularly played cards at the senior center.
But one of the card players had been sick and infectious for five years before diagnosis. That has left public health officials playing catch up in an effort to find everyone who is at risk.
“It’s important to remember that most of these are men or the close relatives of men who fought for us in Laos during the Viet Nam War,” the Minnesota Department of Health spokesperson told Breitbart News.
Nine additional cases of MDR TB have been reported in Ramsey County since April, when health officials had identified only eight total cases, the Star Tribune reported at the time.
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