Potential exposure to Tuberculosis at Salinas Courthouse
The Monterey County Health Department is issuing a warning for those who may have been exposed to tuberculosis in two courtrooms last year. County Health Officials say people who were in two different Salinas courtrooms on two specific dates last year, may have been exposed to Tuberculosis, but they say the odds of catching the disease are small.
Anyone who was in Courtroom 11 at the Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas on September 13th from 8 am to 4 pm or Courtroom Eight on October 28th from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. may have come in contact with a person who had active Tuberculosis, which is a bacteria that usually attacks the lungs and can make people very sick. Fortunately, the risk of anyone having contracted it in the courthouse is low.
“Tuberculosis is not easily spread from one person to another. Usually, it does require an extended amount of time near somebody who has TB in confined areas, breathing the same air for a long period of time,” said Monterey County Health Officer, Dr. Edward Moreno.
If you were in or around those court rooms on those dates, the Monterey County Health Department is urging you to attend one of their three free TB screenings. Those will take place at the health department on Natividad Road in Salinas on February Seventh, Ninth, and 12th.
Again, if you were at the Monterey County Superior Courthouse during any of the following dates or locations, you may have been exposed:
Salinas Courthouse, Courtroom 11, September 13 , 2016, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Salinas Courthouse, Courtroom 8, October 28 , 2016, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
If you feel you may have been in either of those courtrooms at those times, get a free screening from the Monterey County Department of Health at these times:
February 7 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 p.m., Monterey County Health Department, 1270 Natividad Road, Salinas. February 9 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monterey County Health Department, 1270 Natividad Road, Salinas. February 12 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monterey County Health Department, 1270 Natividad Road, Salinas.
