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(CNN) -- More than 600 patients and 100 employees at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, have been exposed to tuberculosis after coming in contact with a hospital employee carrying the disease, a hospital spokesman said Thursday.
The Georgia Department of Community Health and the hospital have identified 680 patients who were exposed to tuberculosis between November 2010 and February 2011, said hospital spokesman Lance Skelly.
The hospital and the state Department of Community Health began notifying people this month about the exposure after an Emory employee was diagnosed in April with the infectious disease, he said. The employee did not know he had tuberculosis when he came in contact with employees and patients, the hospital said.
All hospital employees are screened for the disease and must receive screenings each year, it added. A statement released by the hospital did not say whether the employee had been screened.
About 11 million people in the United States are infected with latent tuberculosis, which is symptom-free and is not contagious.
Of those, 5 to 10 percent will go on to develop active tuberculosis, which can be spread to others through the air, such as through coughing or sneezing. It can be fatal if not properly treated.
Symptoms of tuberculosis can include chest pain, a bad cough (possibly with blood), weakness and a fever. While tuberculosis usually impacts the lungs, the kidneys, brain and spine may also be affected.
The Georgia Department of Community Health and the hospital have identified 680 patients who were exposed to tuberculosis between November 2010 and February 2011, said hospital spokesman Lance Skelly.
The hospital and the state Department of Community Health began notifying people this month about the exposure after an Emory employee was diagnosed in April with the infectious disease, he said. The employee did not know he had tuberculosis when he came in contact with employees and patients, the hospital said.
All hospital employees are screened for the disease and must receive screenings each year, it added. A statement released by the hospital did not say whether the employee had been screened.
About 11 million people in the United States are infected with latent tuberculosis, which is symptom-free and is not contagious.
Of those, 5 to 10 percent will go on to develop active tuberculosis, which can be spread to others through the air, such as through coughing or sneezing. It can be fatal if not properly treated.
Symptoms of tuberculosis can include chest pain, a bad cough (possibly with blood), weakness and a fever. While tuberculosis usually impacts the lungs, the kidneys, brain and spine may also be affected.