MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – A source close to a family whose newborn has tuberculosis said the infant was a patient at a Macomb Township clinic where a worker was diagnosed with the illness.
The source said the baby was seen at Cornerstone Lakeview Pediatrics.
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An alert went out Thursday that patients at the Macomb Township location, as well as Lakeview Pediatrics and its Ascension Medical Group Michigan locations in Rochester and St. Clair Shores may have been exposed to TB.
Due to privacy reasons state health officials only confirm that the associate diagnosed with pulmonary TB is receiving treatment and is not currently working. All other associates and providers at the practice have been tested and do not have active TB disease.
The baby’s family wants other parents to know that TB symptoms can seem like pneumonia, so they fear some children could have been misdiagnosed.
The family in close contact with state health department, and the child’s treatment ongoing.
An investigation started after the state was alerted that an individual had TB in November 2019. This led to testing of employees at the clinics, and the diagnosis of the ill employee.
Ascension Medical Group said it has sent out emails and letters to parents of patients with instructions on how to proceed if they may have been exposed to TB. The window of exposure goes from April of last year to Jan. 9 of this year.
Patients are encouraged to check their email, spam folder and mailbox for an alert from Ascension Medical Group. Those alerts will have information on how to get a blood draw and TB test for free.
TB symptoms can include:
- A bad cough that lasts three weeks or longer
- Pain in the chest
- Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)
- Weakness or fatigue
- Weight loss
- No appetite
- Chills
- Fever
- Sweating at night
Ascension Medical Group Michigan has set up a call center for scheduling tests and responding to questions. The call center is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday. It can be reached by calling 855-757-4376.