Residents in New Mexico to be tested for TB

Residents in New Mexico are being tested for tuberculosis after a health care worker was diagnosed with the disease.

Approximately 250 people in Albuquerque and Clovis were identified as being at risk from the disease by the Department of Health.

Dr Marcos Burgos, medical director of the tuberculosis programme for the health department, said: "We know who was potentially exposed to TB in this case, and we will be in touch with you if we think you need to be tested.

"We are contacting individuals who may have been exposed so we can treat them if they are infected."

The department has announced it has tested 73 people for the disease to date and no one has been infected.

California Healthline has reported how Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed ten per cent funding reduction at health agencies could affect tuberculosis control efforts in the state.

Under the cuts, officials would eliminate the use of a rapid TB test which can identify the disease within 24 hours.

Phil Griffin, president of the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association, told the healthcare news provider: "It's certainly a step backwards, in particular for California."