San Diego City Wire

San Diego County News Center

The County’s Tuberculosis Program is working closely with Father Joe’s Villages to notify residents, employees, and volunteers potentially exposed to tuberculosis (TB) at the Paul Mirabile Center (PMC) at Father Joe’s Villages, located at 1501 Imperial Ave., San Diego, CA, 92101. The dates of potential exposure are from May 4th, 2024, to May 19th, 2024.

Insufficient information is available to determine whether this exposure indicates transmission may have occurred at another shelter site operated by Father Joe’s Villages. In November 2023, the County TB Control program investigated a potential exposure at a different Father Joe’s facility.

TB is an airborne disease transmitted from person-to-person through inhalation of bacteria from the air. The bacteria spread when someone sick with TB coughs, speaks, sings or breathes. People with frequent and prolonged indoor exposure to a person who is sick with TB should get tested.

People experiencing homelessness are at increased risk for TB due to several factors. These include a higher risk for getting infected in congregate settings, challenges regarding access to healthcare, and the presence of certain medical conditions that may be more common and/or severe among people experiencing homelessness.

While the rate of TB is much higher among people who have experienced homelessness, about 90% of those diagnosed with TB in San Diego County have not been recently homeless.

“Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss,” said Ankita Kadakia, M.D., County Interim Public Health Officer. “Most people who become infected after exposure to tuberculosis do not get sick right away. This is called latent TB infection. Some who become infected with tuberculosis will become ill in the future, sometimes even years later if their latent TB infection is not treated. For people who think they may have been exposed, blood tests and skin tests are an effective way to determine an infection.”

Effective treatments are available to cure people who are sick from active TB. It is especially important for people with symptoms of active TB and those who are immunocompromised to see a medical provider to rule out active TB disease and discuss treatment.

The County TB Control program will offer on-site testing and x-rays when appropriate at Father Joe’s Villages to ensure easy access for exposed persons.

People who test positive for TB but do not have symptoms of active disease should get a chest x-ray and talk to a medical provider as they most likely have a latent TB infection. People in this situation are infected with TB but the infection remains dormant or “sleeping.” Taking medicines for latent TB infection can cure it and prevent these individuals from becoming ill later.

The number of people diagnosed with active TB in San Diego County has decreased since the early 1990s when more than 400 cases were reported annually. However, after decades of decline, TB cases have begun rising since 2020. In 2020 there were 193 cases; in 2021 there were 201; in 2022 there were 208; and in 2023 there were 243 cases reported—a total increase of 17 percent which brought the county back to pre-pandemic levels.

An estimated 175,000 people in San Diego County have latent TB infection. Of these individuals, between five to ten percent are at risk for developing active disease if they go without preventive treatment.

For more information on this potential exposure contact the County Tuberculosis Control Program at (619) 692-8621.

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