| The Ministry of Health has been informed by the Head of Health Care Sector Affairs in Dutch St. Maarten that there is currently an active case of Tuberculosis (TB) in Dutch St. Maarten. This case was diagnosed in a woman who works in the Border Bar in Dutch St Maarten which is frequented by many Anguillians. |
| Persons who have visited the Border Bar any time between May 2007 and the present should visit the Valley Health Centre for a Mantoux test which tests for TB infection. The Mantoux tuberculin skin test is performed by injecting a small amount of fluid (called tuberculin) into the skin in the lower part of the arm. A person given the tuberculin skin test must return within 48 to 72 hours to have a trained health care worker look for a reaction on the arm. TB is primarily an illness of the respiratory system, and is spread by coughing and sneezing. Only people who are sick with TB in their lungs are infectious or have an active case of TB. People who are not sick can have what is known as latent TB infection. Persons with latent TB infection do not feel sick, do not have any symptoms, and cannot spread TB to others, but some people with latent TB infection go on to get TB disease. Therefore it is important for those who may have been exposed but are asymptomatic to be tested. Even persons who have previously been vaccinated against TB are asked to be tested if they have visited the Border Bar in St. Maarten any time in the last three months. It should also be noted that if persons have been exposed within the last two weeks, the TB infection might not be detected by the Mantouk test. Therefore those who have visited the Border Bar in the last two weeks should be retested even if their tests are non-reactive (negative) |
