Hospital Worker Exposed 700 Babies to TB

A Texas woman with undiagnosed tuberculosis worked at a nursery in an El Paso hospital for nearly a year before she was diagnosed, potentially exposing 706 babies and 43 co-workers to the disease, reports Reuters. Calling TB "serious but treatable," El Paso's Department of Public Health is now working to track down those who might have been exposed to screen for the disease. " We want to be extra sure that your child is examined," the department wrote in a letter to parents. In addition to Texas, affected babies are also from New Mexico and Mexico, notes the El Paso Times. TB can lie dormant for years; it's an airborne sickness spread by people with active cases. (More tuberculosis stories.)