CATLETTSBURG — Hundreds of inmates and dozens of staff at the Boyd County Detention Center will be tested in the coming days for tuberculosis after an inmate at the facility tested positive for the disease on Thursday.

Officials are reassuring there is not a public health risk from the case, which is the only positive case being reported. Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease that is spread through the air from one person to another. It usually attacks the lungs, but can also attack other parts of the body, such as the brain, spine or kidneys, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The inmate, whose name is not being released by health officials, alerted authorities to the possibility he had the disease about 45 minutes after arriving at the BCDC on Wednesday. The man was undergoing a routine medical pre-screening when he alerted a nurse to the situation, said Kristy Bolen, Ashland-Boyd County Health Department public information official and senior regional epidemiologist.

Bolen said the inmate was given a chest x-ray and a sample of sputum was taken for a test. These two tests are usually used to make a diagnosis, she said. The state lab in Frankfort confirmed on Thursday the inmate was infected with TB.

"The patient has now been put in isolation and is being treated for TB," said Bolen. The inmate was transported to King’s Daughters Medical Center for care.

He is being guarded by two jail deputies, said Boyd County Jailer Joe Burchett. The inmate was in jail for charges related to manufacturing methamphetamine, according to Burchett.

Bolen said Tuberculin Skin Tests will be given to the approximately 220 inmates who were at the facility while the inmate was there.  Approximately 50 detention center staff, law enforcement officials and others who may also have been exposed to the individual while he was at the BCDC will also be tested.

TST is a test to see if a person has been infected with TB bacteria. For the test, a health care worker injects a liquid, called tuberculin, into the skin of the lower part of the arm. When injected a small pale bump will appear. The person given the TST must return within two or three days to have a worker look for a reaction on the arm where the liquid was injected. The worker will look for a raised, hard area or swelling, and, if present, measure its size using a ruler.

If a person’s test is read positively, additional tests are still needed to determine if the person has latent TB or TB disease. Latent TB infections occur when TB bacteria is living in the body without making the person sick. Individuals with latent TB do not feel sick, or have TB symptoms and cannot spread TB bacteria to others. Some latent TB infections do develop into the disease.

Health officials had only about 70 skin tests on hand and are prioritized for testing until additional tests arrive next week.

The individuals who had the most face-to-face exposure time with the inmate are the first being tested, said Bolen.

“We have a protocol for TB investigation that we use, where we look for close contacts. Close contacts are anyone who is within three feet for a pretty long time. So right now we are looking for those individuals and doing the appropriate skin tests to find out if they have been infected with TB,” Bolen said.

According to the CDC, when someone who is infected with TB coughs, speaks, laughs or sneezes, people nearby may breathe TB bacteria into their lungs.

Other precautions have also been taken. The jail has been sanitized using bleach and air filters throughout the detention center’s heating and cooling system were replaced on Thursday night. “We are taking an abundance of caution,” said Bolen.

In addition, visitors were not allowed into the facility on Wednesday after the discovery of the patient’s condition and throughout Thursday. “The facility is now reopen for day-to-day business,” said Bolen.

On Friday, visitors were being allowed back into the facility even as staff members were undergoing TB tests.

According to the CDC, four to six percent of TB cases reported in the U.S. occur among people incarcerated at the time of diagnosis. The incarcerated population contains a high proportion of people a greater risk for TB than the overall population. Risk factors contributing to the high rate of TB in correctional facilities include: physical structure of facilities that can include close living quarters and high rates of other chronic illnesses such as HIV and Hepatitis C.

Bolen said the HD handles one to two cases of TB per year.

More information about TB can be obtained from the CDC at cdc.gov/tb.

CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.