An employee at Columbia-based University of Missouri Health Care has tested positive for tuberculosis, the academic health system said July 27.
MU Health Care shared a press release with local news outlets on the matter, saying it is working with state and county health officials to address risks to patients and staff. The employee who tested positive has been isolated from patients and staff and contract tracing is underway to notify anyone who had prolonged contact with the individual.
Mu Health Care said the risk to most is low, and free testing will be offered to anyone who may have been exposed.
"We are confident that we will identify and manage the risks to patients and staff who may have come into close contact with this health care provider," Stevan Whitt, MD, MU Health Care's chief medical officer, said in the statement.
The health system includes six hospitals and multiple clinics. MU Health Care did not state which of its facilities the affected individual worked at.