A Santee detention facility may have been exposed to tuberculosis, the county warned Monday after a person tested positive for the disease.
If you were inside the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility at any time from Aug. 5 to Dec. 6, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency said you may have been exposed to the bacterial disease.
The department did not specify if the initial patient was an inmate, staff, or visitor.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department will offer free tuberculosis testing for the facility’s staff and those in custody at the time.
“Testing is recommended for people who were exposed to make sure they are not infected, since initial infection usually has no symptoms,” said county public health officer Wilma Wooten. “For any infected people, early diagnosis and prompt treatment can prevent the infectious form of the disease.”
Symptoms may include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss, according to the county.
Tuberculosis can be transmitted through the air by prolonged contact with someone who is infected. Most people who are exposed do not become infected, the county said.
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In 2019, 208 cases of tuberculosis have been reported throughout the county as of Monday. In 2018, the number of cases was 226, San Diego County said.
Deputies are working with the Health and Human Services Agency to notify all possible people.
For more information on the possible exposure, call the county’s Tuberculosis Control Program at (619) 692-8621 or the Sheriff’s Department’s Infection Control at (858) 974-5971.
