San Diego City Wire

The County’s Tuberculosis Control Program is collaborating with The Cove at La Jolla Post-Acute Care Center to inform current and former residents, as well as employees, about potential exposure to tuberculosis (TB). The facility is located at 7160 Fay Ave., La Jolla, CA, 92037. Potential exposure dates range from February 17, 2024, to September 16, 2024.

Diagnosing tuberculosis can be challenging, and individuals with TB may remain undiagnosed for several months. This results in prolonged periods of exposure. Current evidence indicates that the exposure involves drug-resistant tuberculosis. Visitors to The Cove at La Jolla who believe they might have been exposed or healthcare providers treating those with known exposures should contact the County Tuberculosis Control Program at (619) 692-8621 for further guidance. Some standard medications used to prevent TB disease following exposure may not be effective in this case.

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

Effective treatments are available for curing active TB cases. It is crucial for individuals showing symptoms of active TB or those who are immune-compromised to consult a medical provider to rule out active TB disease and discuss treatment options.

“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.”

Individuals testing positive for TB but without symptoms of active disease should get a chest x-ray and consult a medical provider as they likely have a latent TB infection. These individuals are infected with TB but the infection remains dormant or "sleeping." Medications for latent TB infection can cure the infection and prevent future illness.

The number of active TB cases in San Diego County has decreased since the early 1990s when over 400 cases were reported annually. However, after decades of decline, TB cases have started rising since 2020.

In 2020 there were 193 reported cases of TB; this increased to 201 in 2021 and 208 in 2022. In total, there were 243 reported cases of active TB disease in San Diego County in 2023—a rise of 17 percent bringing numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.

Approximately 175,000 people in San Diego County have latent TB infections. Of these individuals, between five and ten percent risk developing active TB disease if they do not receive preventive treatment.