After a significant outbreak of tuberculosis in Jacksonville, a Tallahassee homeless shelter is partnering with a public health agency to begin testing people. Doctors from the Bond Community Health Center will be giving the TB tests twice a week.
Starting on July 30, doctors will come to the Renaissance Community Center on Virginia Street every Monday and Wednesday, with the results read on Wednesdays and Fridays. Bond's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Temple Robinson, says, it’s especially important to track new people moving into town.
“We have not seen any clusters in Tallahassee, we have no reported groupings of outbreak or any spike. This is screening and preventive," she says.
Robinson said TB is primarily a lung disease, but it can affect other parts of the body. It’s spread easily among people sleeping in close quarters. Symptoms include cough, fever and weight loss. She recommends getting tested if you suspect someone near you might be infected and you live in a dormitory, prison, military barracks or homeless shelter.