Douglas County to declare public health emergency after TB case at YMCA

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Douglas County Health Department will declare a public health emergency after an active case of tuberculosis disease.

The health department said Thursday that it is investigating more than 500 possible exposures at the Westview YMCA in Omaha.

The YMCA said the possible exposures happened at Childwatch, where people can drop off their kids while they exercise.

They would have happened from late spring into late October, according to the health department.

Health authorities are investigating the patient’s activities to find other possible exposures.

TB testing is recommended for those who had close contact with the patient.

Close contact, according to health officials, means spending extended time with a contagious person at least once. It does not include brief encounters in common areas like hallways or gyms.

Symptoms of TB include a cough lasting for weeks, chest pain and coughing up blood.

Tuberculosis is treatable, and although it is rare, it is not unheard of in Nebraska.

Douglas County had 15 confirmed cases in 2022 and 15 through September of this year.