Local TB cases could be linked to poultry industry

The Alabama Department of Public Health is asking anyone who is working or has worked with the poultry industry in Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence or Lauderdale counties from June 2022 to the present to be screened for tuberculosis.

"TB is a type of bacteria that is usually spread from one infected person’s lungs to another’s through activities such as talking or coughin, a release from the department states. "TB is not transmitted in food. People who are infected with TB can be very sick or may have no symptoms. TB is treated using antibiotics and is almost always cured. People infected with TB can also be offered a preventive treatment.

"Over this time period, seven cases of confirmed or suspected TB disease have been identified in individuals who have worked in one or more poultry plants. As people who work in these plants are frequently in close contact with one another, the Alabama Department of Public Health cautions that these individuals may have been or currently be at risk for contracting TB."

The department is implementing testing, investigation and control measures. Testing is done by a blood test and will be available on the following days and locations from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.:

Lauderdale County Health Department, Monday, August 7, and Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Colbert County Health Department, Thursday, August 10, 2023

Lawrence County Health Department, Monday, August 14, 2023

Franklin County Health Department, Thursday, August 17, 2023

A $20 gift card is offered to each eligible person who completes the testing. For more information, contact the local health department. The numbers per county include:

Colbert: 256-383-1231

Franklin: 256-332-2700

Lauderdale: 256-764-7453

Lawrence: 256-974-1141